


Lions in Amestris

by Fullmetal_Bitch



Series: Voltron/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ed and a few others swear, Fighting, Gen, I spell 'Elicia' as 'Elysia', Many O/C characters, The Lions love Ed, They will fight you to protect him, Widdon & Combes are still arseholes, and their pilot, mainly Ed, probs needs to have more tags but I can't think of any more to add
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:04:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 342,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmetal_Bitch/pseuds/Fullmetal_Bitch
Summary: With the first anniversary of Promised Day mere weeks away, now is not the time Ed wants any added difficulties but as always, Ed doesn't get what he wants. After some friends unexpectedly drop in, Ed and Mustang, as well as the whole crew, now have to help Voltron hunt down an inter-dimensional criminal before he can cause any trouble. Can they do it before anything bad happens?*Updates every Sunday, Qld Australia Time*
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric & Roy Mustang, Black Lion & Blue Lion & Green Lion & Red Lion & Yellow Lion (Voltron), Edward Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Edward Elric & Team Mustang
Series: Voltron/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686724
Comments: 176
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

_Three months since former Major Leah Belmont's arrest…_

"For the murders of Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Chambers, Captain Chase Bryce, Major Colin Pardi, Colonel James Summer, Brigadier-General Aleyce Henley, Major-General Bernard Andrews, the attempted murder and aggravated assault of Lieutenant-General Olivier Mira Armstrong, the kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment of Captain Riza Hawkeye, the aggravated assault of Alphonse Elric and resisting arrest, you have been found guilty of all charges by a jury of your peers, former Major Leah Belmont." Ed's eyes flicked over to where the hunched form of Belmont stood next to her lawyer as the judge presiding over her case read out the verdict and sentence of the near two-month long trial. The three months in jail had done her physical health no favours. Her cheeks were gaunt and her eyes were sunken in, the surrounding skin looking almost bruised. The wound Ed had inflicted during their fight with his transmuted stone knife to her left cheek had scarred just as he had predicted it would. The gnarled red skin stuck out vividly against her almost sickly pale skin. "You are hereby sentenced to death by firing squad at a time to be later determined by this court," the judge declared tonelessly, the sound of his gavel echoing throughout the room as he brought it down on the table with a sense of finality.

"No!" Belmont screeched as the two soldiers tasked with escorting her to and from the courtroom every day for her trial grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her away from her lawyer's side. Her sobs and screams echoed back to them as they led her to the vehicle that would transport her back to her prison cell.

The young man who'd represented her had an air of unsurprised sadness around him as he slowly packed away the loose sheets and files on his desk into the briefcase that had sat on his right side. No doubt, Ed thought, her lawyer had been expecting a guilty verdict but had hoped to avoid the death penalty since he'd encouraged Belmont to plead guilty by reason of insanity. However she had decided to voice her opinions about how everything had been Mustang's fault loudly at every opportunity. If she'd managed to follow the advice her lawyer had undoubtedly given her, Ed knew she likely would've been sentenced to life with no chance of parole. It also didn't help her case when she tried to attack Mustang, Hawkeye, Ed and Brookes when they all gave testimony against her. Even though she had pled guilty, they still had to present the case so the judge and jury could learn the severity of her crimes so they could pass down the appropriate judgment.

There had been a couple of tense hours where Belmont's lawyer had questioned why none of the six consultants who worked the case alongside Ed, Mustang's team and Brookes were available to give testimony when Ed had been on the witness stand. The blonde had managed to keep his cool and told the lawyer that they'd gone home to their country and were unavailable to give evidence before pointing out that each member had written a report of what they'd witnessed the night of Belmont's arrest and that Hotch had given a more thorough report of their discoveries throughout the investigation in its entirety. Belmont's lawyer had made a motion to suppress the reports and evidence based on the fact that those who had written them and uncovered it weren't there to swear to their authenticity in the court.

Thankfully, the judge had overruled the motions after some deliberation and sworn testimony by everyone who had accompanied or been interviewed by the BAU agents that what was written in the reports was accurate. Much to Ed's amusement, even Widdon and Combes had been called upon to testify about their interview with Hotch, Rossi, Lieutenant Maria Ross and Ed himself. The testimony they'd given had been completely truthful – something Ed had been rather surprised about – but Al had been forced to pinch Ed a couple of times so the older Elric wouldn't burst into laughter at how the disgraced generals had managed to deliver their testimonies through gritted teeth.

But finally, after two long months of testimony and evidence presenting, the trial was over and Belmont would never see the outside of her cell again. Ed wasn't too sure how he felt about the death penalty being handed down but he took Red's advice to not linger on it too much. It wasn't up to him what sentence Belmont would be given and it would do him no good to think about it too much. A nudge to his flesh shoulder had him looking over to see that Al was waiting for him to stand so they could follow Mustang and Hawkeye out of the courtroom. There was a slightly pinched look to Al's face and Ed realised that his brother had started getting concerned for him, which Ed couldn't blame him for since the whole courtroom was a flurry of activity as people started leaving. Ed gave Al a reassuring look as he got to his feet and joined Al and Hawkeye in waiting for Mustang, who was speaking to the prosecutor. After exchanging a few more words and shaking the woman's hand, Mustang joined the three of them and they all left the courtroom together.

"Thank fuck that's finally over with," Ed said as he squinted at the brightness outside. Blinking a couple of times, he managed to adjust to the sunlight quickly enough to glare at Mustang when he snorted. "What?" Ed snapped, even as Al tried to stop him from doing so.

"You do realise that that trial should've gone longer, don't you, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked. "It was only thanks to Fuhrer Grumman that she went on trial so quickly and that this trial didn't run twice as long, if not longer," Mustang informed him.

" _It's so wonderful to know that this whole ordeal hasn't traumatized him enough that he can no longer act like a superior dick,"_ Red said with a sarcastic sigh. Her comment in Ed's mind had the blonde snorting violently in amusement and Mustang narrowing his eyes.

"Which Lion?" the man asked, keeping his voice on the quiet side since they were in public.

"Red," Ed told him, voice still filled with amusement as he felt the Red Lion of Voltron preen at the fact she was able to get that reaction from him. The other four Lions were either rolling their eyes or shaking their heads in resignation or their own amusement at either Red or Edward.

"I think I'll live if you don't repeat what she had to say," Mustang muttered, causing Ed to laugh once more.

"Yeah most likely," Ed told him with a shrug. He felt Red's disappointment that Mustang wouldn't hear what she had to say but Ed promised that the next time she insulted him; he'd tell him. "Anyways, as wonderful as this conversation is, you've got paperwork to do and we need to go pick up some groceries for Miss Gracia still," Ed said as the four of them made it out to where the military car Hawkeye had booked and driven them to the courthouse in was parked.

Mustang's groan of annoyance was covered by Al's noise of confusion, much to the flame alchemist's relief since his captain was eyeing him suspiciously. "Brother, you have your meeting with Fuhrer Grumman in an hour," Al reminded him.

"Wait, that's today?" Ed asked, face scrunched in confusion.

Al sighed as he nodded. "Samantha called us yesterday to confirm it, remember?" Al said, voice slightly exasperated.

Ed's face smoothed out in remembrance as he recalled the previous day's telephone conversation with the Fuhrer's secretary. "Oh yeah," he said, causing the five Lions, Al and Mustang to chuckle at him. The only one who didn't laugh was Hawkeye but Ed could see the amusement in her eyes. "Good thing I've got you as my personal aide, little brother," Ed said with a smirk, knowing how much Al disliked being reminded of the fact that Ed was literally his boss. As Ed thought would happen, all amusement on Al's face was replaced with a scowl.

"Would the two of you like a lift to Central Command?" Hawkeye offered, getting in front of anything Al could say in retaliation.

"Yeah, that'd be great, Miss Riza. Thanks," Ed said, giving her an honest smile that she returned. Al echoed Ed's words and everyone chose to ignore the small huff Mustang gave at Hawkeye's offer as they climbed into the car, Hawkeye behind the wheel.

"This meeting's just about your contract with the military, isn't it?" Mustang asked as they headed for Central Command and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, should be the last one," Ed told him as he let himself stretch out next to Alphonse.

Ed and Grumman had had several meetings over the past three months but they had been very short ones as either something always happened to interrupt them or they didn't have the time available to discuss the subject of Ed's contract for very long. Though Ed hadn't been sent on a mission outside of Central since Belmont's capture and Mustang's release from prison, he also had been busy with helping Gracia with Elysia, doctor's appointments regarding his injuries and Belmont's trial itself.

Fuhrer Grumman, to no one's surprise, rarely had time available for Ed to just drop by so they'd had to make do with short conversations that never lasted longer than 15 minutes up until today where Grumman had been able to schedule a proper meeting for the two of them. Considering Ed's contract was due to expire in just under a month – since he'd signed the five-year contract only a month before his 13th birthday – it wasn't like they really had the time to wait for everything to settle down to its normal speed to have their meeting. With the memorial for the first Promised Day anniversary literally only five weeks away, Ed couldn't truly blame Grumman for not calling a proper meeting sooner. The Fuhrer was in the middle of trying to declare the date a nation-wide public holiday so the citizens of Amestris would never forget what their country had gone through and survived and would remember those who had been lost on that day, as well as organise a ceremony to memorialise those who had fought to save Amestris and those who had lost their lives in trying.

"I trust you'll pay the office a visit once you've finished with your meeting," Mustang said, drawing Ed out of his thoughts and causing the blonde to roll his eyes.

"Yes, I already said I would," Ed grumbled at him. His decision on whether to renew his contract would, after all, affect Mustang as well, no matter which way he decided so he would have to tell Mustang what he and Grumman had decided.

"Need I remind you of the numerous times you've said you'd turn a report in only for you to do so two or three days late because you – and I quote – 'had better things to do with your time'?" Mustang said, causing Ed to snort in amusement. His amusement was echoed by most of the Lions, though Black did her best to try and be admonishing. Needless to say, she failed after only a couple of moments.

"It wasn't like I _lied_ ," Ed said. "I never did give you specific times, after all, for that reason," Ed informed him, a smirk on his face.

"Brother, stop arguing with the general," Al moaned as he slouched in his seat.

"But it's so much fun, Al!" Ed whined playfully, grinning as his brother rolled his eyes and looked remarkably like her was praying for patience from some unknown being.

"Behave yourself," Hawkeye ordered, making Ed immediately pout before nodding. The Captain's eyes caught Mustang's smirk and she levelled him with an unimpressed look even as she guided the car through the street. "Both of you," she added sternly, making Mustang's smirk disappear while Ed struggled to stifle his laughter, something proved all the more difficult with five giggling Lions in his head. Hawkeye must've sensed them laughing in Ed's head because she locked eyes with the blonde, an amused twinkle in her eyes before she focused back on the road.

"You guys are so gonna get me in trouble one day," Ed murmured to the Lions, using his bond with them as he mimicked Al's slumped position. His brother looked a little confused by his sudden silence but Ed tapped the side of his head and Al gave a small nod.

" _You're clever enough to come up with a way to get out of that trouble though,"_ Green said and Ed could feel her smirk.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Ed told her before smirking himself, "but you're absolutely right. I am pretty clever," Ed said, causing the Lions to laugh in his mind as he grinned. "So what did you lot and your pilots get up to today?" Ed asked, not wanting to lose the victorious and relieving feeling that Belmont's guilty verdict gave him any sooner than he needed to. He grinned as the Lions fought over who would get to tell him of their adventure to a nearby planet that day while the scenery of Central flashed by his window.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Miss Samantha," Ed and Al chorused as they both entered Grumman's outer offices and spotted the brunette who was his secretary.

"Good afternoon, boys. I'm glad you both remembered this meeting," Samantha said once she identified who'd walked in.

"Edward almost forgot," Al immediately told her, grunting when his brother elbowed him.

"Tattletale," Ed hissed before looking up to see Samantha's amused expression. "I got my days mixed up and thought I was meeting Grumman tomorrow," Ed explained and Samantha sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Well you're here now and that's all that matters, I suppose," Samantha said as she stood up from her desk. "I'll let Fuhrer Grumman know that you're here. You are aware that His Excellency wishes this meeting to be between just the two of you, yes?" Samantha asked and Ed nodded.

"Yeah," he told her. "Al's already said he'll wait out here so long as you're alright with that, Miss Samantha." From his side, Al nodded in agreement with Ed's words.

It had caused a small fight between the two brothers when Ed had told Al that. Al hadn't been impressed but Ed told him almost exactly what he'd told Winry when he got his new automail installed just before the BAU went home after helping him and the team save Mustang and Hawkeye: it was his decision and his alone whether he signed on with the military and Al attending the meeting with him would only result in the youngest Elric becoming bored as he would not be able to have any input.

Al had argued, telling Ed that he wasn't stupid and that he knew it was Ed's decision alone so he wouldn't try anything but Ed had given him an incredulous look that told Al his brother didn't believe him but it wasn't like Al could pretend the look wasn't warranted. He'd always been vocal about how he didn't like the fact that Ed would still be going on dangerous missions now that everything had calmed down after Promised Day, assuming Ed agreed to renew his contract. Eventually though, once he realised Ed wouldn't budge on trying to convince Grumman to let Al in on the meeting, Al had accepted the condition and agreed to wait in Samantha's office.

"Of course it's no trouble," Samantha told them, giving them both a smile before she knocked firmly on Grumman's door. "Fuhrer Grumman? Lieutenant-Colonel Elric is here to see you," Samantha said when Grumman's muffled 'yes?' could be heard. Ed scowled at the use of his rank but Samantha pretended not to notice. Al didn't bother trying to hide his grin and the Lions in Ed's head didn't bother hiding their own amusement either, causing Ed's scowl to deepen. "Edward?" Samantha's voice got his attention and the scowl disappeared from his face.

"Yes, Miss Samantha?" Ed said, though he was fairly certain he knew what the woman was about to tell him.

"Fuhrer Grumman will see you now," she told him and Ed nodded before making his way over to the doors.

"Behave yourself for Samantha, little brother," Ed said, giving Al a cheeky smile before he vanished into the inner office, smiling at Samantha and closing the doors before Al could snap at him. "Hey, Grumman," Ed greeted with a lively wave as he headed for the two chairs that sat opposite Grumman's desk.

"Hello, Edward," Grumman said, dropping any need for professionalism since it was only the two of them in the office and he knew Ed was easier to deal with if he wasn't forced to abide by military protocol too strictly. "I hear Belmont's trial came to a favourable end," Grumman said casually, as though he hadn't sent one of the soldiers who regularly acted as part of his guard to the trial with instructions to call with the verdict the moment it was handed down.

"Yeah, she got the death penalty," Ed said, pretending he also didn't know about Grumman's guard's orders either. He still wasn't sure whether he was alright with the sentence but he refused to think any more on it. It had been up to the courts and that was their decision. Besides, under Grumman's rule, Belmont would get the chance to appeal her sentence if she chose to so there was a chance her sentence would be reduced to life without the possibility of release.

"I see," Grumman said, obviously sensing Ed's uncertainty about the decision because he didn't say anything more on the subject. "Before we move into discussions about your contract, I would like your opinion on something," Grumman said, surprising Ed slightly.

"Sure. What's up?" he asked, feeling the Lions' curiosity as well but he could only mentally shrug at them.

"I intend to honour those who were instrumental in defeating the homunculi and stopping Amestris' destruction, as I'm sure you're well aware of," Grumman said and Ed nodded. He hadn't been awfully thrilled when he'd been informed that Grumman had wanted to present those Father had used as sacrifices, as well as those like the Armstrong siblings and Mustang's team who had also worked alongside them to stop the Promised Day with an award. In Ed's personal opinion, he didn't need some kind of reward for stopping Father but he'd known this was Grumman's way of making sure the public never forgot Promised Day and those who put their lives on the line to protect them so he'd agreed to the ceremony. "I was wondering whether you believe your friend, Scar, would take any offence if I extended an invite to him to attend the ceremony to receive his own award? After all, without him, the array dampening the Amestrian alchemists power wouldn't have been reversed and his brother's array couldn't have been found and used to reverse Father's array," Grumman said and Ed looked at him with slight shock.

"If I'm being honest, Grumman, I don't think I could say with any surety which way Scar would feel about it," he told the Fuhrer. "I don't think he would be offended but I'm not sure he'd be willing to accept it either," Ed said honestly. "Then again, he might accept it to show both Ishval and Amestris that our countries are moving forward from their past conflicts. I could ask, if you'd like?" Ed offered and Grumman nodded.

"Perhaps he'd be more willing to accept the invite coming from someone he calls a friend," Grumman said. "I'll take you up on that offer, if you don't mind," Grumman told him and Ed nodded. He still needed to send his response to Scar's latest letter anyway so he'd just add Grumman's invitation to the end of what he'd already written before he took it to the post office. "Wonderful. If I happen to be busy when he answers, just ask Samantha to pass the message along," Grumman instructed and, once again, Ed nodded.

"Will do," Ed told him and Grumman gave a nod of thanks.

"Excellent," Grumman said before he straightened up slightly. "Now we've managed to discuss most of you conditions for renewing your contract over the past few months when we've managed to get further into our conversations than the pleasantries," Grumman said, no small amount of annoyance on his face, not that Ed could blame him. He was pissed that each of their five previous meetings had managed to be interrupted before too long and with legitimate reasons too. "Is there anything else you wanted to request before I finish drawing up your contract, assuming you're still willing to sign on for another five years?" Grumman asked and Ed shrugged.

"I am and so long as you've kept the condition that I only answer to you or Mustang in and you've added a clause saying I can leave the military before my contract is up with no repercussions if we get a new Fuhrer and they end up being an arse and I don't want to work under them, than I'm good," Ed told him.

"I didn't quite put it in those words but your contract does say that you have the option of leaving the military should you be unable or unwilling to work under a new Fuhrer without suffering any sort of repercussion," Grumman told him, a small smirk on his face as Ed looked pleased. "I never did ask but is there an actual reason why you want the first clause kept? Other than the obvious?" Grumman asked as he finished writing something on what Ed assumed was his new contract.

"I want it kept mainly because it makes my life easier if I can tell certain generals to stick it when they try to give me orders," Ed said and Grumman didn't need to ask the blonde to elaborate on who he was talking about. He was already dreading the phone calls he knew he'd be receiving later that day from Widdon and Combes once Belmont's sentence became public news, "but I also did make a pretty big deal about that being part of my contract when dealing with Widdon and Combes and I don't particularly want to deal with them when they realise it's no longer part of my contract," Ed told him.

"I figured as much," Grumman said before looking at the blonde seriously. "I am willing to keep that clause in there but you must understand that when this contract comes to an end, even if I'm still Fuhrer at the time, you will be very unlikely to be allowed this clause for a third time," Grumman warned him and Ed gave him a nod, showing him that he understood.

"I know," Ed told him. "Besides, Widdon and Combes will hopefully be in jail, forced into retirement or dead by then so it should be all good," Ed said with slightly malicious grin that had Grumman shaking his head.

"As long as you're aware this clause won't be added after this contract expires," Grumman said and Ed nodded. Grumman wrote a few more lines on the papers in front of him while Ed kept himself entertained by listening to the Lions' ideas on how they'd deal with Widdon and Combes if they ever made it to his dimension. He couldn't quite hold his snort back when Red told him she'd hold them over a cliff until they begged for mercy and Grumman gave him a questioning look that made Ed shake his head, indicating it was nothing. Grumman didn't look like he believed him but he went back to his work while Ed admonished Red as much as he could before his amusement grew too great. "Here you are," Grumman said, handing Ed a small collection of papers. "Read over this and if you're happy with it, sign the bottom so I can do the same and send it where it to the personnel department to be filed," Grumman instructed and Ed took the papers from him.

"No worries," Ed said as he settled in to do just that.

Grumman watched him for a moment before he decided to take the opportunity to work on some of his other paperwork. Edward didn't seem to notice Grumman's gaze or that he'd lost it as he took in the papers in front of him. Though he could read at a speed that would almost rival Spencer Reid of the BAU, this was one time where he made himself take in every word carefully. Though he trusted Grumman to not slip in something in his contract Ed wouldn't agree with, he still took no chances but he didn't find anything of the sort. Everything – his wage, the clauses he'd asked for, his duties, etc. – all seemed to be in order and by the time he reached the end of the document, he was happy to sign it. None of the Lions had picked up anything while they read through his eyes so he was very sure there was nothing untoward about his contract.

Snatching a pen off of Grumman's desk, causing the Fuhrer to look up as he did, Ed signed his name to the pages where it was needed before handing both contract and pen back to the Fuhrer. "Is that all?" Ed asked and Grumman nodded as he accepted the items, signing his own name and adding his seal to the bottom of the pages.

"Yes," Grumman said. "You'll be due for your annual physical and alchemic tests in a few weeks however I'm prepared to push them back until after the Promised Day ceremony since they're supposed to happen within a couple of days of each other," Grumman told him and Ed almost laughed. He'd completely forgotten about those exams and the fact that he was about due to for his yearly review to keep his title.

"Awesome. Just let me know when you want me to do them," Ed said and Grumman gave him a nod. "If that's everything you needed to talk to me about, I'll head out. Al and I have to get some groceries for Miss Gracia before she gets home and I told Mustang I'd stop by to tell him whether he gets to put up with me under his command for another five years or not," Ed told him with a small grin on his face.

Grumman chose to ignore his comment. "Actually, now that you've mentioned him, I was wondering how your alchemy lessons are going with Brigadier-General Mustang?" Grumman asked, leaning back in his chair slightly.

"Yeah, alright," Ed said, mimicking Grumman's posture. "Mustang reckons I've got a pretty good handle on the basics but flame alchemy is like nothing I've studied before. The only thing that comes close is my water alchemy but considering Al and I came up with those arrays ourselves, it's by far easier for me to use," Ed told him. "I'm nowhere near an expert in it but I don't think anyone was expecting me to be after only three months," Ed said with a half-smile that Grumman returned.

"Well I haven't received any reports of any explosions in the last three months so your lessons can't be going too badly," Grumman said, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Nah, not that bad yet," Ed told him with a grin. "It'll take me a while to be proficient at it but it turns out Mustang isn't a half-bad teacher so you never know," Ed said with a shrug. He could hear the Lions in his head teasingly cooing at what could be considered a compliment to Mustang and he told them to shove it, making them laugh.

"I'm sure you'll master it sooner than you think," Grumman said with a kind smile that Ed couldn't help but return.

"Thanks, Grumman," Ed said sincerely and Grumman nodded. "But I do have to go," Ed said, a touch apologetically.

"Of course," Grumman said, standing up from his chair just as Ed did the same. "Make sure you let me know what Scar says so I know what I'm doing and please make sure to extend an invitation to Mrs. Hughes and her daughter as well. I would love to have them there as honoured guests for the memorial service. After all," Grumman said, a slight sadness in his eyes, "Brigadier-General Hughes gave his life trying to give Brigadier-General Mustang the information that would've given us an advantage," Grumman said. Ed couldn't stop the familiar stab of guilt and sadness that he always felt when Hughes was mentioned but he had the Lions to help lessen the guilt side of it.

"Of course. I'll make sure they know," Ed told him, voice a little subdued.

"Thank you," Grumman said before he extended his hand for Ed to shake. "It'll be a pleasure to see what you can do for the military with another five years' service, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said as Ed accepted his hand.

"Hopefully the next five years will be a little less intense than the last five," Ed said with a wry grin that had Grumman chuckle.

"We can only hope," Grumman said, letting go of Ed's hand. "Now you best be off before your brother breaks down my door. I'm sure he's already growing concerned about why you've spent half an hour in here already," Grumman said with an amused smile.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ed said with a laugh before doing what he should've done when he first entered the office and saluted. "Have a good day, Fuhrer Grumman," he said and Grumman nodded as he dismissed the salute.

"You as well, Edward," Grumman said, once again forgoing military etiquette as the blonde headed for the door.

"See ya, Grumman!" Ed said just before he disappeared through the doors, shooting Grumman a broad grin that had the Fuhrer shaking his head fondly just before the door closed behind him.

The Fuhrer was truly relieved that Ed had decided to stay with the military for another five years. His standing with the public aside, Edward and his legendary stubbornness and alchemic prowess were good for the military and Grumman was certainly glad that the eldest Elric and – through Edward – his brother were willing to stand with him and those who followed him. He didn't want to be in Widdon's and Combes' shoes once the two disgraced generals were brought back from their forced leave.

* * *

"How come you took so long? What happened?" Al asked the moment Ed had shut the inner office doors behind him and for some reason, Ed chuckled at him as he waved to Samantha, who was on the phone.

"Come on, I'll tell you all the details while we head to Mustang's office," Ed said, gesturing for his brother to follow. "See you, Miss Samantha!" Ed called, making sure his voice was loud enough for the woman to hear but not loud enough to disrupt her conversation. She waved at the both of them as Al echoed his brother and they headed out of the outer office.

"So?" Al asked impatiently as they headed down the corridor and Ed rolled his eyes.

"When people tell me I'm impatient, I'm gonna tell them to wait to say that until after they've met you," Ed said, causing Al to grumble when Ed didn't answer him. "Settle down," Ed laughed, holding a hand up. "I'm signed on for another five years and my contract is pretty much the same except that it states that at the start of it, I'm a lieutenant-colonel and am to receive the wages and whatnot of one instead of a major," Ed told him. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as various emotions flickered across Al's face as he took in the news.

"I knew you would sign the contract but still," Al said after a minute of walking, "I had hoped that maybe you would retire and you wouldn't be sent on so many dangerous missions again," he said with a small sigh.

"You know that I enjoy doing this work," Ed said, feeling a sense of familiarity as he went through his arguments for staying with the military again, "and you know I enjoy being able to help keep innocent civilians safe with my alchemy," Ed said, placing a hand on Al's shoulder. "Plus, beating the shit out of idiot criminals who deserve it is a lot of fun so there's also that," he added, causing Al to huff out some laughter. "This is what I'm good at, Al, and I know you, Miss Gracia, Elysia and Winry all worry about me but I can do so much good with the military and I can help make sure the military never falls back to how it was during Bradley's reign," Ed said and Al sighed.

"I know, Brother," Al told him, "but I still worry and I can't help that," he told him and Ed nodded, understanding his brother's feelings all too well.

"I know we've already discussed this but you don't have to come with me on missions," Ed reminded him. "You can go and annoy Granny or Winry or you can stay in Central and help Miss Gracia with Elysia while I'm away," Ed told him but Al shook his head.

"Someone's gotta make sure you don't knock criminals out after they've been arrested just because their voice annoys you," Al said with a smirk that turned into laughter when Ed threw his hands up in exasperation.

"That was one time and Moore deserved it!" Ed exclaimed as Al and the Lions cackled at his reaction.

" _I'd have knocked him out too,"_ Red soothed in Ed's mind and he grinned smugly at Al.

"Red thinks I did the right thing," he said and Al rolled his eyes.

"Red would," Al muttered back, causing the Lion in question to hiss in offence and Ed to smack his brother up the side of the head.

"Be nice to the Lions," Ed ordered when Al glared at him and his little brother rolled his eyes once more as they rounded the corner that brought them to the corridor Mustang's offices were situated. Ed could feel Red's pleasure at being defended by the blonde so quickly and he hide his amusement quickly.

"I'm sorry, Red," Al said, knowing full well the Lion could hear him while she was consciously connected to his brother like she obviously was.

" _He's forgiven. This time,"_ Red said, a growl of warning accompanying her last two words.

"You're forgiven this once," Ed told his brother dutifully as they reached the door that would open to Mustang's original team's office. Just before they knocked though, the door to their right opened and they saw one of the team members who had worked under General Bernard Andrews before his untimely death at the hands of Belmont appear from the other side. "Hey, Valentin," Ed greeted once he'd identified the soldier.

Said man startled slightly at being addressed before he realised who was talking to him and a smile broke out on his face. "Oh, hey, Ed. Hey, Al," the man greeted as he strode over to meet them. "What brings you by?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Gotta tell Mustang he gets to put up with me for another five years," Ed said nonchalantly. "You?" he asked, eyeing the papers in the man's arms and guessing what the answer would be.

"Oh, you renewed your contract than?" Valentin asked and Ed nodded. "That's great news! The military certainly would've been more boring without you around," Valentin told him, causing Ed to laugh and Al to groan. "As for me, I'm just delivering our paperwork where it needs to go," Valentin said, hefting the papers slightly in case the brothers had somehow missed them.

"Do any need to go to Brigadier-General Mustang or his team?" Al asked and Valentin stilled for a moment in thought before he nodded, looking a little confused as to why Al might be asking. "We'd be happy to deliver them for you," Al told him and Valentin looked a little surprised before smiling gratefully.

"Oh! That would be really helpful. I've got a lot of stops to make," Valentin said as he leafed through the papers expertly with one hand before handing a stack a good three inches thick over to Al.

"It's no worries," Al said with a smile. "We're happy to help out," he assured him as Ed nodded, despite the fact he had no paperwork in his hands.

"Still, I appreciate it," Valentin said before sighing slightly. "I do have to get going though. It was good running into you two and congratulations on your contract, Ed," Valentin said with a smile.

"No worries and thanks," Ed said with a genuine smile.

"It was good seeing you as well, Valentin," Al said, giving the man a smile of his own that Valentin returned before he headed towards the next office he needed to stop at.

"I suppose now we definitely have to go in and see that bastard," Ed said, glaring at the paperwork in Al's hands.

"We were going to have to anyways, Brother, and you know it," Al told him in a manner that reminded Ed suddenly of Hawkeye before she truly lost her temper.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered before he knocked on the office doors and waited for Hawkeye to permit them entrance before he went in. His kicking down of office doors only ever happened if it was Mustang's inner office door or if he had his hands full and no one else around to open the door for him. He respected and feared Hawkeye far too much to try it at any other time. "What's up?" Ed asked as he and Al headed into the office.

"Hey, Chief. Hey, Al," Havoc greeted from where he sat, leaning in his chair with a cigarette clenched between his teeth as he waved at them. "What brings you by?" he asked.

"Valentin had some paperwork for you lot so we're delivering that and I need to tell Mustang about my contract," Ed told them as Al gave the paperwork to Hawkeye.

"How come Sergeant Valentin had you deliver his team's paperwork?" Hawkeye asked as she started sorting through the small pile.

"We ran into him just as he came out of their office and offered," Al told her. Any suspicion she had that Valentin had just handed off his duties to the boys seemed to disappear with Al's words.

"That was kind of you," Hawkeye said, giving Al a small smile before looking at Ed. "What news do you have regarding your contract?" Hawkeye asked and had it have been anyone else, Ed knew they wouldn't have since it was against military protocol for someone lower in rank to question a superior officer.

"You're stuck with me for another five years," Ed told her, causing massive grins to split on everyone's faces, including Falman's though both he and Hawkeye managed to control their grins so they weren't so wide.

"We knew you wouldn't turn down the chance to keep working with us for another five years," Havoc said as he walked over to Ed to clap him on the shoulder, causing the younger blonde to take half a step forward from the force of the friendly gesture.

"Congratulations, Edward," Hawkeye said as she pulled him into a quick hug, unable to show more affection without breaking military protocol further. "It'll be a pleasure to continue working alongside you," she told him, stepping back from him so the others could offer their own congratulations, which they did enthusiastically.

"We'll have to go out and celebrate," Breda declared, beating Havoc by seconds if the blonde smoker's pout told them anything.

"What are we celebrating?" Mustang's voice asked and they all turned to find the man with an armful of paperwork leaving his office in favour of leaving it on Hawkeye's desk.

"Edward has come to an agreement with Fuhrer Grumman and has agreed to stay with the military for another five years, Sir," Hawkeye told him the moment Mustang released everyone who'd offered him a salute from their poses.

"We've decided we're going out to celebrate him doing so," Breda told him.

"I see," Mustang said. "I suppose that could be a cause for celebration," he drawled, causing Ed to roll his eyes.

"You would be lost without me here going on missions for you and you bloody well know it," Ed informed him, ignoring Al's fruitless attempt at trying to make his brother behave himself.

"I certainly wouldn't know what to do with all the extra time the lack of paperwork regarding you would give me," Mustang drawled.

"You'd probably try to use it to avoid even more paperwork and piss Miss Riza off," Ed snarked back.

"Speaking of paperwork," Hawkeye interrupted, a warning tone in her voice, "Sergeant Valentin has delivered his team's paperwork for today," Hawkeye informed Mustang, handing over the paperwork as she told him about it. "I imagine that it needs to be looked over and signed by the end of the day, Sir," she added, causing his displeased expression to deepen as he looked at the newest stack of paperwork.

"Very well," Mustang said, his tone matching his expression. No doubt, Ed thought, Mustang had thought his second team's paperwork had been in the stack already on his desk and that if he finished that, he'd get to go home earlier than usual. Ed could feel five nods of agreement in his mind as he watched the scene.

"While it's always fun to watch Mustang try and accept more paperwork gracefully," Ed said, earning a glare from his commanding officer and grins from Havoc and Breda, "we only stopped by to let you all know about my contract but we've gotta get going so we can get to the shops for Miss Gracia," Ed told them. "Oh, and I've gotta get to the post office before it closes for the day," Ed said as he patted down his pockets and pulled out his unfinished letter to Scar. "Does anyone have a pencil or pen I can borrow?" he asked, looking up expectantly.

"Sure," Fuery said, handing a pencil over. "What do you need it for?' he asked curiously.

"Grumman wants me to invite Scar to the Promised Day memorial so he can be honoured alongside us and everyone else who played a crucial role in our victory," Ed told him as he scrawled the last few sentences he needed to write before he got to the invitation at the bottom of the letter. "Grumman figured he'd be more likely to accept, or at least think about the offer, if it came from me rather than him," Ed said.

"You know," Mustang said, grabbing Ed's attention, "I have plans to visit Ishval and check on their rebuilding progress in three weeks' time," Mustang told him. "If you'd like to ask him in person, you and Alphonse would be welcome to accompany myself and Captain Hawkeye on the trip," he offered. Ed could feel his own surprise reflected by the Lions and see it on Al's face. Never once, in the near year it had been since Promised Day had Mustang offered to let the two boys go with him on one of his trips to Ishval.

"I don't see any reason why we couldn't," Al said, drawing Ed out of his shock. "What do you think, Brother?"

Ed shrugged. "I can't remember Miss Gracia asking us to do anything around that time so it should be alright," Ed told him before looking at Mustang and nodding. "Let us know when we're leaving," he said and Mustang gave a nod.

"I'm sure Captain Hawkeye will have the details soon," he said and Hawkeye gave a small nod. "If that's all, I'll be heading back into my office to finish the last of the paperwork up," Mustang said, glaring at the papers still in his arms.

"When would you be available for Edward's dinner?" Hawkeye asked. The mutter Ed gave in response was mainly for show and everyone seemed to know it.

"Just let me know. I'm assuming Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and her team will be invited?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded when everyone's eyes fell on him.

"Yeah, they're cool so if they can make it, they're welcome," Ed told them and Mustang nodded.

"Work out a date with them. I'm sure I'll be able to move any plans I have around to join," Mustang told Hawkeye, who gave him a nod.

"Yes, Sir," she said before looking at his paperwork pointedly. "I suggest you get started on that. I'm sure I'll have an answer for you later today or tomorrow," she told him and Mustang gave a nod that was accompanied by a small sigh.

"Come on, Brother. We need to go as well," Al said before Ed could make any sort of snarky comment to Mustang about his paperwork and Ed nodded before he finished his letter to Scar, telling the man to expect him, Al, Mustang and Hawkeye in a few weeks before he gave Fuery his pencil back and placed the now-finished letter back in his pocket.

"Alright, let's go," Ed said before looking at the others. "We'll see you later. Have fun with your paperwork," Ed said, smirking as Mustang muttered something before the flame alchemist retreated to his inner office after a warning look from his captain. "Have a good rest of the afternoon," Ed said to everyone else.

"See ya, Chief," Havoc said with a grin. "We're sure glad you've decided to stick around."

"Yeah, who knows how boring it would've gotten around here without you?" Breda said, causing Havoc and Fuery to chuckle in agreement.

"Yeah, we'd hate for you lot to be bored at work," Ed drawled though his grin told them he was only teasing.

"Is there any day you can't do dinner?" Hawkeye asked but both Ed and Al shook their heads.

"No, I don't think so," Ed told her and Al echoed his words.

"Very well," she said. "I'll give you two a call when we've worked out a date," she told them and they nodded.

"No worries," Ed told her. "We'll see you lot later," Ed said once more while Al waved as they headed for the outer office doors.

"See you around, guys!" came the call from Havoc, that was then repeated by everyone else just before they shut the doors behind them.

"It's always fun visiting them," Ed said as he and Al headed for the front gates.

"You just enjoy annoying General Mustang," Al accused and Ed nodded, unable to deny it.

"Yeah, that's a big part of it," Ed said with a grin that had Al rolling his eyes and shoulder-checking him as they walked. Ed immediately retaliated with a light strike to Al's shoulder, causing his younger brother to yelp lightly at the sting.

" _You two are so childish sometimes,"_ Green told them amusedly and Ed huffed at her.

"Technically speaking, I'm still a child for another couple of months yet so your words have no effect on me," Ed told her after he repeated what she'd said to Al so he was in the loop.

" _As if they would even if you were technically an adult,"_ Blue drawled and Ed grinned at her.

"You're not wrong," he told her while Al chuckled his own agreement. "You guys never got to finish your story about the planet you visited today. What happened after Pidge accidentally insulted the princess of the planet?" Ed asked as they continued weaving through Central Command. Now that Belmont's trial had been concluded and his contract had been sorted out, Ed felt like everything had finally calmed down and he smiled to himself as he listened to Green's recount of what Pidge had to do to show the insulted princess that she truly hadn't meant what she'd done.


	2. Chapter 2

_Three weeks later…_

"So we're catching a train to Resembool then taking a car from there to Ishval, right?" Ed asked as he and Al walked to the Central train station and Al nodded.

"Yeah," Al said. "The railway tracks between Ishval and the rest of Amestris haven't been completed yet," Al told him. "You know this because you asked me yesterday," Al reminded him with a roll of his eyes and Ed smacked him lightly on the arm.

"I was just checking," Ed snapped while Al rubbed his arm, pouting at his brother. "Stop that. I didn't hit you that hard," Ed said, rolling his eyes at his little brother with more emphasis than Al had done just before.

"Why can't you pretend Elysia is nearby when you're in public?" Al muttered but not low enough for Ed to miss what he said.

"I'm sure I've said this before but a lot of effort is put into behaving the way I do around Elysia and I am not prepared or willing to continue putting that much effort into behaving while I'm in public when El isn't around to witness it," Ed informed his brother and making the Lions who were eavesdropping on their banter laugh. While Al grumbled at him, Ed checked his silver pocket watch and sighed a little. "We're early. I told you we didn't have to leave so quickly," Ed said.

"We left that early because Elysia was still half-asleep and couldn't try and stow away in our suitcase or something to make sure you or General Mustang didn't go on another super-secret mission without her say so," Al reminded him, causing Ed to huff slightly.

Ever since they'd told Gracia and Elysia that they would be going with Hawkeye and Mustang to check on Ishval's progress, Elysia had been reminding Ed and Al that neither of them was allowed to go on any missions without telling her. At his dinner the two teams held to celebrate him signing onto the military for another five years, Ed had almost turned red as he tried suppressing his giggles when Mustang got a near ten minute long dressing down from the youngest Hughes about him not being allowed on any more secret missions without her say so. Hawkeye had just given Mustang a look that said 'I hope you're listening to her' when the man looked at her for help and Gracia had been no better when Mustang turned to her.

"Yeah, that was probably a smart move on our part," Ed said with a chuckle. He wouldn't have put it past the six-year-old to try crawling into his suitcase like Al had said. "Let's get coffee while we wait for Mustang and Miss Riza," Ed said before giving Al no choice in the matter as he headed straight for the café that sat just inside the station.

" _You have an addiction. Should we start trying to cut you off?"_ Black asked as the two headed for the small coffee shop and Ed snorted.

"It wouldn't work. I could just block you while I have a coffee," Ed told them, using their bond to communicate so people wouldn't think he was insane. "Besides, there are worse things for me to be addicted to than coffee," Ed said and he felt Black concede to his point slightly. Ignoring the Lion, he placed his and Al's orders, grabbing a sandwich for himself despite the fact he'd just eaten breakfast before paying for their orders and joining Al at the table he'd chosen.

"Everything all good?" Al asked as Ed sat down and the eldest blonde nodded.

"Just thinking," Ed said, tapping the side of his head in a way to let Al know he was just talking to the Lions and Al gave a nod.

"What about?" the youngest Elric asked and Ed snorted.

"About how I _don't_ have a coffee addiction and that even if I did, it isn't the worst thing to be addicted to," Ed told him, hearing both Black and Al laugh at him.

"Yes, you do but you're right. There are definitely worse things in the world you could be addicted to," Al said and Ed didn't bother stopping the smug feeling he felt from making its way through his bond with Black.

" _It's not like Al is unbiased. He is your brother and he shares your addiction too, although, in interest of being fair, he has his addiction under control,"_ Black said. Before Ed could respond to that, he felt Black's attention being grabbed by something he couldn't hear or see. _"I have to go, Ed. Something's got Princess Allura a little worried. I'm sure it's nothing truly major,"_ she was quick to assure him when she felt his worry, _"and I will tell you all about it when I have the details but I don't know when that will be. You and your brother better stay safe. With how often trouble finds the two of you, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you've run into some on your way to Ishval,"_ Black said wryly.

Ed rolled his eyes before nodding in thanks to the waitress who'd just dropped his and Al's orders off. "We will be fine and it is not my fault people are stupid enough to try and take us on," Ed informed her, using his familiar excuse. "But you guys stay safe as well. It takes a lot to unnerve Miss Allura enough for it to be noticeable. Let me know what's going on as soon as you can," Ed ordered. He got five nods of agreement before he felt them distance themselves from him slightly more than they usually did. It wasn't like when he'd had them mute their bond with him while Mustang was in prison but it was still quietened more than Ed liked, if he was being honest.

"Is everything alright, Ed?" Al asked, having noticed the look on his older brother's face and realising Ed hadn't touched his sandwich or coffee just yet.

"Something's happening to have Miss Allura noticeably worried about it and I'm just concerned," Ed told him. "The Lions will tell me what's going on when they can," he said, keeping his voice quiet so no one could overhear their conversation.

Al's eyes darkened with his own worry before he pushed it away so Ed couldn't see. "I'm sure everything will be alright. You said Zarkon and Haggar were the most dangerous beings Voltron had to worry about and they aren't problems anymore," Al said, wincing as Ed flinched at the reminder of how Haggar had met her end. "Sorry," he said but Ed just waved it away. "It's probably just some remaining Galran or something like that. Or maybe the Blade of Mamora have uncovered some kind of super weapon or something and need Voltron's help in destroying it," Al said and Ed felt his worry unravelling. "You'll see. In a few hours, you'll feel silly for being so worried about them," Al said confidently and Ed laughed.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed, pushing the worry away roughly as he listened to his brother. "It's probably just something to do with the remaining Galran or the Blade, like you said," Ed said, more to himself than to Al.

"Exactly," Al said with a nod. "Now drink your coffee before it gets cold," Al ordered, making Ed laugh as he did as his brother instructed and allowing Al to move their conversation to something a little lighter.

* * *

"Captain Hawkeye!" Al called suddenly, not ten minutes after Ed had wrapped up his discussion with Black. Sure enough, when Ed looked in the direction Alphonse was waving, Hawkeye had just seen them and was making her way through the crowd to join them.

"Good morning, boys," Hawkeye said as she joined them, sitting next to Al and placing her small suitcase at her feet. "I trust you're ready for this trip," she said, eyeing the single suitcase that sat between the two boys with a slightly raised brow.

"Yeah, since we know cleaning arrays, we don't need to pack that many clothes for a trip this short," Ed told her. If he was being honest, they'd brought more books than they brought clothes, especially considering it was only a five-day trip.

"Very well," Hawkeye said, dropping the subject immediately as she checked her watch.

"You'll have time for a coffee," Ed said, guessing what she was debating. "You know Mustang won't turn up until last minute anyways," he said with a small grin as he took another sip of his own coffee.

Hawkeye didn't say anything, just gave him a reprimanding look but Ed thought the fact that she got up to head into the café spoke more than anything else. "Why are you like this?" However, it turned out Alphonse wasn't as willing to keep his reprimand to himself and Ed rolled his eyes.

"Because I am and you wouldn't change me," Ed told him. He elected to ignore Al's mutterings in favour of drinking the last of coffee and so he didn't start a fight that Hawkeye would have to end.

"I'm a little surprised to see the two of you here so early," Hawkeye said as she joined them, placing the table number the waitress had assigned her so the server would know where to bring her order. "I would've thought Elysia would've attached herself to the both of you and refused to let go," Hawkeye said, a small twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

"That's why we left a little earlier than needed," Al told her. "She was still waking up properly by the time we left so we only had to deal with hugs and promises from us that we would be back in five days," Al said, smiling a little at the memory of a half-asleep Elysia scowling at Ed as she reminded him of his promise.

"Probably a wise decision," Hawkeye said seriously with a nod before she turned to Ed. "I'm not sure if anyone has told you since you've not had to come into the office for the last week but General Mustang has decided to have Lieutenant Havoc join us on this trip," she informed him.

"Nah, I never heard anything about it," Ed said, leaning back slightly. "I wonder why he chose Havoc as his second guard," Ed mused out loud.

Though not unusual for Mustang to have two of the team accompany him on trips out of Central, he usually chose to have Falman with him and Hawkeye on trips that lasted longer than three days since – in Mustang's words – there was less chance for Havoc to fall for someone if they were in town no longer than three days and, therefore, less chance of him snapping his fingers at his 1st Lieutenant before the trip was over. Ed couldn't think of any specific reason why Havoc would've been chosen as the second guard over Falman considering how long this trip was supposed to take unless something had happened in the last week to make Falman have to stay in Central.

"General Mustang didn't share his reasons with me but I did hear him muttering about needing someone trained in medicine with us considering your tendency to find a fight wherever you go, Sir," Hawkeye said. Ed's face turned red at the same time Al started choking on the sip of coffee he'd chosen to take at that moment.

"I'm gonna hit him," Ed growled while Al tried to get his breathing under control. The youngest Elric was saved from his brother's glare by the waitress arriving with Hawkeye's order, placing it in front of the captain before turning to those at the table.

"Was that all for this table?" the woman asked, reaching to take the number placard before Ed stopped her.

"Can I grab a black coffee to go please? Large?" Ed asked, handing over the money needed to cover it. "You can keep the change," Ed said before the woman could question it.

"Of course. It should be out shortly," the waitress said with a smile, "and thank you, sir," she added with a nod before she headed back into the coffee shop to get started on his and the other customers orders.

"Are you done?" Ed asked, any politeness in his tone from speaking with the waitress gone as he turned to his little brother, who seemed to still be struggling with his breathing.

"You have to admit, Brother, that General Mustang does have a point," Al said once he'd gotten control of his giggles.

"I will admit to nothing of the sort," Ed snapped, slumping in his chair and crossing his arms as he scowled at Alphonse.

"What aren't you admitting to, Chief?" Havoc's amused voice sounded from behind Ed and the blonde turned to look at him as Al and Hawkeye offered their greetings.

"Many things, Havoc," Ed said with a smirk that Havoc returned as he took one of the last seats at their table. "I just place a to-go order if you wanna get in there and have the waitress place yours on our table," Ed told him, nodding to the café's doors.

"Cheers, Ed," Havoc said, leaving his bag with Ed and Al's and heading straight into the café to get himself something to eat and drink on the train.

"If Lieutenant Havoc is here, General Mustang shouldn't be too far behind. Lieutenant Havoc was tasked with driving him to the station," Hawkeye said, eyes narrowing as she scanned the crowd of people for the familiar figure of the flame alchemist. Upon spotting him, Hawkeye got to her feet immediately as he approached and saluted him. "Good to see you here on time, General Mustang," she said.

"At ease, Captain Hawkeye," Mustang said, waving a hand to dismiss the salute. "Lieutenant Havoc managed to arrive at my home on time which helped matters," Mustang informed her as he frowned at the bags. "Speaking of the lieutenant, where is he?" the flame alchemist asked as he looked around.

"Getting the coffee needed to deal with your bullshit while we're travelling to Resembool," Ed said before anyone else could answer Mustang.

"Brother, don't be rude," Al hissed at his older brother, who looked remarkably unaffected by Alphonse's reprimands.

"It's alright, Alphonse. You know your brother can't help it," Mustang said, surprising near everyone at the table. All three, however, also looked like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. "With how short he is, it must be hard to keep all that snark contained," Mustang said, voice falsely sympathetic but instead of getting snapped at, Mustang found himself on the receiving end of the infamous Elric eyeroll.

"A short joke?" Ed asked, a touch of amusement in his tone. "Is that the best you can do after all these years? Step up your game, Mustang," Ed said with a smirk.

"I truly hope I do not need to repeat myself during this trip about the two of you behaving yourselves," Hawkeye said. Her voice may have sounded somewhat wishful but all three at the table could hear the threatening undertone.

"I can only speak for myself but I'll be able to keep myself out of trouble," Ed said, glaring at Mustang. The glare intensified when Mustang snorted in disbelief and it moved to Alphonse when Ed realised his little brother was struggling to hide his own scepticism from being seen.

"Thank you, Edward. I know you'll try your hardest to keep your word," Hawkeye said, eyes pinning Mustang down and making the man squirm slightly. He cracked when Hawkeye raised one of her brows pointedly.

"Of course, Captain," he said, returning Ed's glare when the teenager let out a suspicious sounding sneeze that Al elbowed him for. Of course, Ed immediately smacked his brother on the shoulder but, to Mustang's dismay, Hawkeye didn't reprimand him since her attention had been captured by Havoc approaching them with two coffees in hand.

"She'd just started on yours when I placed my order so I figured I should just hang around," Havoc said in explanation to Ed's silent question as he handed one of the take-away cups to the blonde.

"Fair enough," Ed said before taking a sip. "Cheers, Havoc."

"No worries," Havoc said with an amused grin. "We know what you're like without enough caffeine in your system, Chief," Havoc teased but all Ed did was nod seriously at his statement.

Before anyone else could make any sort of comment, a voice came over the public announcement system with the list of trains that were either departing or ready to be boarded. To no ones surprise, when the train bound for Resembool was announced, Hawkeye was the first to get to her feet with her bag. Her expression made sure none of her travel companions took their time in mimicking her actions and the fact that she elected to bring up the rear of the group ensured that none of them lagged behind either. Mustang was the one to reach the ticket vendor first and therefore, he was the one to ask for the tickets Hawkeye had booked.

"There you are, General. Five tickets to Resembool," the young man behind the desk said, fanning the tickets so Mustang could see there were indeed five before he handed them over to Mustang. "Enjoy your trip," he said with practised politeness before his eyes moved from Mustang to the lady behind him, a subtle but clear message for the flame alchemist to get out of the line so he could continue working.

"Thanks," Mustang said before turning to join the group who were waiting only a few steps away. "Let's find our train," he said, handing a ticket to each of them before accepting his bag back from Hawkeye.

"Found it," Ed said immediately, gesturing to the train he and Al had travelled on dozens of times to get back home to Resembool.

"I guess having someone who travels as much as you two do tends to make things easier, hey, Chief?" Havoc said with a grin as they followed the two blonde brothers towards the train Ed had pointed out.

"How certain are you that this is the correct train?" Mustang asked dubiously. Ed seemed to either not hear him or ignore him as he continued leading them through the crowd.

"Hey, Darren," Ed greeted, waving to one of the employees who would be travelling on the train for that trip.

The man, a stocky fella who Mustang thought would fit in better as one of those who shovelled coals into the engine than as the ticket collector he presumed him to be, waved back to Ed, a grin splitting on his. "Long time, no see, Ed, Al," Darren said, nodding when Al gave him a friendly wave. "Heading back to Resembool for a visit, are ya?"

Ed shot Mustang a smug look before looking back at Darren just as quickly. "Passing through this time," Ed told him. "Heading to Ishval to see how they're going and to speak with one of the Ishvalens on behalf of Grumman," he said when Darren raised a surprised brow and rightfully so. Resembool was literally the end of the line for this particular track, or it would be until the tracks connecting it to Ishval were completed.

"Sounds important," Darren said. "Hopefully the old girl gets you to Resembool on time," Darren said, looking fondly at the train sitting stationary on the tracks next to them.

"She hasn't failed us yet," Ed said with a smile that turned into a scowl. "It's been idiot hijackers and damaged tracks that have held us up in the past but with us onboard, it's not like either would be a problem for long should they happen," Ed told him confidently enough that Darren grinned.

"Of course they wouldn't be," he said with a chuckle. "You lot better get on board before you start holding everyone up," Darren said, jerking his chin towards the train.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that," Ed said. "See you later, Darren."

"Keep yourself safe, Ed. You too, Al," Darren said, nodding to both boys.

"We'll try," Al said dryly, looking significantly at Ed – who appeared oblivious – and making Darren laugh before the five of them were waved onto the train by the man. Al took the lead in trying to find their private compartment while Ed gave Mustang a flat look.

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain this is the train to Resembool," the blonde said, making Havoc snort violently enough that he started coughing and causing Mustang to scowl.

* * *

"Hey, Brother?" Al's voice brought Ed out of the book he was currently nose deep in and he blinked over at Alphonse, who looked like he was a few moments away from trying to poke Ed into noticing him.

"What?" Ed asked, lowering the book and ignoring the amused smirks on Mustang's and Havoc's faces. Hawkeye had elected to sit between the two men in order to minimise the distractions Mustang could suffer so he could focus on the paperwork she had packed for him. The pout on Mustang's face when she handed over the papers had been hilarious and Ed had cackled until Al had been resorted to smothering him into being quiet.

"Have you heard anything?" Al asked, tapping the side of his head to indicate what he was talking about and Ed saw Mustang sit up a little straighter in his seat.

"No," Ed admitted. "I think they're talking about something really important though. It feels serious," he told Al before looking at Mustang to explain. "Miss Allura called for everyone while Black and I were speaking before we got to the train station. Black said she sounded very concerned when she spoke but Black and the other Lions don't know why. They've promised to bring me up to speed when they can," Ed told him.

"I'm sure it's nothing to be worried over. It's possible Princess Allura has simply overestimated how worrisome the problem is for them," Mustang said, seemingly dismissively but everyone could see the concern in his eyes. "I doubt it'll be too long before they're giving you a progress report," he added when Ed didn't look overly comforted by his words. "At least you know they wouldn't make you wait for a report, unlike yourself," Mustang snarked, mentally patting himself on the back when Ed's worried look immediately turned into one of annoyance.

"Would you get over it? I haven't been late with a report in ages!" Ed snapped, eyes flashing with heatless anger but Al still grabbed his arm, just to be safe.

"Four weeks is not 'ages', Fullmetal," Mustang drawled.

Despite knowing what her commanding officer was trying to achieve, Hawkeye could not help herself from flatly saying "I believe there's a saying about glass houses and stones, Sir." Ed's expression turned to one of someone witnessing karma in action and she continued, happy to be able to distract her fellow blonde. "Perhaps it would be best that you do not throw them, General," she added, face impassive but her eyes filled with meaning as she looked at the pile of paperwork still in front of Mustang.

"You may have a point, Captain," Mustang said, a slightly imperial tone to his voice as he tried to ignore Ed and Havoc struggling to control their laughter. Though a valiant effort, everyone – including the two of them – knew it was a battle that that neither would win so Al took a step to ensure that his brother would not be literally roasted where he sat.

"Come on, Ed. Let's go check the food car," Al said, using his grip on Ed's left forearm to pull him out of his seat.

"Yeah, that bakery in East City didn't do well with that muffin I had," Ed said, all laughter from only moments ago leaving his face as he scowled lightly at the memory of the disappointing blueberry muffin. "Hopefully the food car will have better stuff," he grumbled as he followed Al out of the compartment before turning back to face the others. "Do you lot want anything?" Ed asked, deciding to be nice to his fellow travellers.

"A coffee would be wonderful," Hawkeye said and Ed nodded. There was no need for her to give instructions on how she liked it since both boys had learned her coffee preferences within a month of Ed being granted his title. "Thank you, boys."

"No worries, Miss Riza," Ed assured her before looking at the two men and raising a pointed brow. Havoc took the hint.

"I'll take a coffee if you're buying, Chief," he said with a cheeky grin that had Ed rolling his eyes but nodding. At his agreement, Havoc silently pumped his fist in victory and both Al and Mustang joined Ed in rolling his eyes at the blonde lieutenant.

"Nothing for me, Fullmetal," Mustang said, tone civil since he didn't want to risk Hawkeye's glare and Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"Your loss," he said before he and Al shut the door, their footsteps disappearing down the aisle of the train car. The three listened until they couldn't hear them anymore before Havoc turned to Mustang.

"Do you really think Ed's friends are alright?" he asked, the concern he had hidden when Al and Ed had revealed what the Lions had told the young State Alchemist showing freely now.

From the moment Ed had come back from Resembool with the BAU team in tow and the news he'd muted his connection with the Voltron Lions and – through them – their Paladins to the moment Fuery had witnessed the Lions re-establish their connection in full force, every single person who was helping Ed clear Mustang's name and find Belmont had all come to notice that the blonde was suffering from the loss of his bonds. The blonde had done an exceptional job at hiding it, well enough that it had taken those like Sheska and Maria Ross a couple of days to notice the effects – though they hadn't realised what was causing it until Ed had come clean about his travels – but the rest of them had figured it out within a few hours. It was clear to the team within days of Ed and Mustang's return to Amestris after their Voltron adventure that the Lions somehow maintaining their bond with Ed had been a blessing.

The changes to the blonde had been few and though they had been slow, they had been significant. Ed was far more willing to seek assistance from Havoc whenever he was injured instead of trying to deal with it himself and his objections about going to a licensed doctor lessened a noticeable amount whenever Havoc had told him he didn't have the training to deal with a particular injury. Ed had also sought Hawkeye out for help dealing with Haggar's death once it had properly hit the alchemist and – with less argument than she expected – had agreed to, and actually did, speak with Mustang when Hawkeye had gently suggested it, knowing the flame alchemist would be able to help Ed far more than she would've. The team had even noticed that Ed's control over his temper had become even greater than it had since Promised Day and he was less likely to tell a higher-up to stick it as bluntly as he used to, something that had proven hilarious to those who were blessed enough to witness Ed insult someone subtly enough that they couldn't claim he was being insubordinate. To lose them permanently would hurt Ed just as much losing Hughes had and everyone on the team knew it.

"I have no reason to believe they aren't," Mustang said to Havoc. "Fullmetal has said nothing about them being in a fight or their emotions concerning him. All he said was that it felt as though they were in the middle of discussing something serious," Mustang reminded him, understanding why his 1st lieutenant was so worried for Voltron's safety. "Until Fullmetal tells me otherwise, I refuse to fuel his worry when there is no reason to," Mustang informed him a little stiffly.

It was blindingly evident to both Hawkeye and Havoc that Mustang was still uncomfortable with bending the regulations surrounding the depth of a relationship a commanding officer could have with a subordinate to the degree he had during his time in the jail cell after Ed had given him the news regarding Al's assault and Hawkeye's kidnapping at Belmont's hands. The little time Ed spent with Mustang while he was still technically under arrest after the flame alchemist had apologised, as well as when Ed was with Mustang for alchemy lessons and they both forgot Mustang was his commanding officer, had been the closest Mustang had gotten to showing Ed just how much he cared about his youngest subordinate. There had also been precious few moments while Belmont's trial was still underway and it looked as though her lawyer had found a clever way to win the case where the team and Al had been witnesses to Mustang making sure Ed never managed to berate himself for missing something and that the blonde knew the team and Mustang were there to help him.

"Very good, sir," Hawkeye said with a nod, seemingly happy enough with the response for both herself and Havoc. The smoker evidently agreed since he gave a sharp nod at Hawkeye's words. Mustang waited a few moments to see whether there would be anything else asked or said but Hawkeye's pointed look to his paperwork had him putting pen back to paper with an attempt at looking more enthusiastic than he actually felt.

While Mustang worked, Havoc and Hawkeye exchanged a look with one another. Though Edward had seemingly accepted Mustang's apology for what he'd said to Ed when he received news of Hawkeye's kidnapping immediately, the team and Al had been frigid with Mustang for a lot longer. The fact that the pair's relationship had managed to not only get back to where it had been before Mustang had spat those vile words at the blonde but had deepened thanks to the flame alchemy lessons Ed was receiving had helped Mustang earn his team's and Al's forgiveness eventually but he still had to work for it. Though none of them had thought that Mustang's apology hadn't been anything but genuine and they'd never considered his offer to teach Ed flame alchemy to be anything other than what he'd claimed it to be, they had all still been various degrees of mad at Mustang for what he'd said to Ed.

They all understood that it had been said in anger and they could see the genuine regret on Mustang's face whenever it was brought up – either by the handful of times Ed had lashed out at Mustang when his newfound self-control and the Lions weren't enough to hold his anger in check or the days where Ed's self-doubt and self-hatred were too strong for the Lions to combat alone – but it had still taken several weeks for their relationships with Mustang to return to normal. For Al and most of the others, their forgiveness had started being earned the first time Ed's anger and self-doubt had gotten the best of him in front of the team and Mustang. Seeing the general calm Ed down and reassure him that he hadn't meant a word he'd said in that cell the night Ed had told him about Hawkeye being kidnapped in a caring and open tone none of them could recall Mustang ever using before and the fact that he'd done so in front of them had most of team and Al realise just how far Mustang was willing to go to make sure Ed never suffered in any way on his own.

For Havoc – who had heard the words firsthand and saw just how badly they'd affected Ed up close – and Hawkeye – who had felt guilty her kidnapping had been what caused those words to be voiced and disappointment that Mustang had spoken to Ed with the same level of viciousness and callousness he'd shown Envy on Promised Day – it had taken longer though.

Havoc had finally stopped giving Mustang the cold shoulder when the man had walked in on the blonde patching Edward up after one of the first proper missions Ed had been given since Promised Day and had promptly dropped the mask of superior officer in order to make sure that the woozy Edward was okay. Havoc honestly still wasn't sure to this day whether Ed even remembered just how worried Mustang had been since the blonde had suffered a pretty hard hit to the head.

For Hawkeye, she had finally allowed the last ounce of displeased tension between herself and Mustang to bleed out when she'd neglected to knock on Mustang's inner office door – having forgotten that Edward was in the office with Mustang in her haste to get some urgent papers signed by the general – and saw the two of them working on Edward's lessons. Though she'd banned Mustang from allowing Ed to use flame alchemy in the offices – no matter how proficient the alchemic genius became at it – she hadn't banned theoretical work and that had been what the two were currently doing. The naked pride in Mustang's eyes as he watched Ed work on the theory had been strong enough to stop the captain in her tracks. She'd retreated silently before they could notice her presence and decided to give them five more minutes before she knocked on the door and brought them back to the real world.

With both Havoc and Hawkeye accepting Mustang's answer to the smoker's question, the compartment fell into silence as they waited for the two Elric brothers to return from the food car. Neither one commented on Mustang's professional mask cracking just enough to mention his refusal to place any kind of unnecessary burden on Ed. Both simply chose to file the moment away to use on Ed in the future, should the alchemist start doubting Mustang's apology again, and resumed the activities they had been doing before Alphonse had disrupted them with his question about the Lions.

* * *

"Corporal McBride?" Ed asked, a little disbelieving as he spotted the young military police officer who had proceeded to apprehend the BAU when he'd discovered they didn't have the necessary papers to allow them legal access to Amestris before he'd called Ed waving at them from just outside the Resembool train station.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," McBride said, moving to snap a salute automatically when he caught Ed's glare and aborted the move. "Er, I mean, Fullmetal, Sir," McBride corrected himself a little nervously before relaxing when Ed smiled at him.

"How come you're here?" Ed asked, 'accidentally' elbowing Mustang and Al as he moved to approach the MP. It had absolutely nothing – no matter what the two tried to claim later – to do with their sniggers at Ed and McBride's exchange. "Picking up a package or something on the train?" Ed queried once he was within arm's reach of the corporal to offer the man a handshake, which he accepted.

"No, sir," McBride said as he released Ed's hand. "I was asked by Captain Hawkeye to meet your group today in order to hand over one of our cars for your use," he told him and Ed made a small noise that was both a mixture of understanding and surprise, though he knew he shouldn't have been. Of course Hawkeye would've arranged their car already for them.

"Awesome," was all Ed said in response. The blonde did roll his eyes when he heard a throat being pointedly cleared behind him. "The impatient bastard is General Mustang," Ed said, jabbing his left thumb over his shoulder to where Mustang was standing. "Captain Hawkeye," Ed said, gesturing to the woman in question as he ignored Al's tired reprimand and Mustang's offended grunt. "1st Lieutenant Havoc," again, he gestured to the person whose name he'd just said, "and my brother, Alphonse," Ed finished up, clapping Al on the shoulder. McBride had studied their faces as Ed introduced them as though he was trying to commit each of them to memory.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," McBride said, saluting the three officers immediately before offering a hand to Alphonse once he'd been released from the salute. "I have the car all organised and ready for you to use just over here," he told them, pointing to an idling car Ed hadn't noticed even if he should have. Resembool didn't have too many cars in it since the townspeople had no need for such expensive machines when a horse and cart did the work just as well for a lot less. "It has a full tank of fuel, which should be enough to get you to Ishval. I have taken the liberty of placing extra fuel in the boot, just in case," McBride said as he led them to the car.

"That was very thoughtful of you, Corporal," Hawkeye said with a nod of thanks that had McBride's cheeks pinkening slightly.

"As I said, the tank is full and it should last you for the trip. Ishval does have fuel supplies so you should be able to fill the tank up there for the trip back," McBride said, trying not to sound too pleased that he'd been given genuine thanks by a superior officer, something that was obviously a rarity for the young MP.

"Cheers, McBride," Ed said, clapping him on the shoulder in much the same manner as he'd done to Al earlier. "Is there anything we need to do or are we right to head out? Not to sound impatient or nothing but we'd like to get to Ishval before dark if possible," Ed said, wincing a little at how brusque he'd sounded.

"Oh, of course," McBride said, looking a moment away from facepalming himself. "I just need General Mustang to sign these papers to say that he is taking this particular car and that he acknowledges that it is to be returned in five days' time from this date," McBride told them, pulling some folded papers out of his pocket and presenting them to Mustang, who took them with a relish everyone bar McBride was expecting.

"Very well," the general said with a sigh before he pulled out his pen and used the car's bonnet as a make-shift desk. Truthfully, he only had to sign two pieces of paper so Ed thought his tired demeanour seemed a little over the top for the situation. "There you go, Corporal McBride," Mustang said when he handed the papers over once the ink was dry and capped his pen.

"Thank you, General," McBride said as he accepted the papers and checked the signatures were on the right pages. Once satisfied, he pocketed them once more. "Have a safe trip," McBride said, saluting the group while Al took the opportunity to open the boot.

"Thank you," Hawkeye said, dismissing the salute since Mustang was busy putting his bag in the boot. Ed gave a cheery wave to the man as he tossed his and Al's suitcase in on top of Mustang's bag and causing the flame alchemist to growl at him as the man moved Ed's suitcase to the side. McBride returned it with a hint of concern before he made the wise decision to leave it be and left the group to it, heading back to the military police station he was supposed to be helping man today.

"Is that everyone's bags?" Havoc asked, having stowed his bag next to Ed's suitcase and taken Hawkeye's from her to stash. Receiving nods from everyone, Havoc secured the boot and gestured for everyone to get in the car. There was a moment's discussion between the two eldest blondes before Havoc got behind the wheel while Hawkeye joined Ed and Al in the back since Mustang had taken the front passenger seat. Once everyone was in, Havoc pulled the car into the street and they started driving through Resembool's city centre with Ed directing Havoc to the road he needed to be on. "We don't need to make any stops before we leave Resembool?" Havoc asked once they were through the majority of the small town and Ed felt all eyes on him and Al.

"No, I don't think so," Ed said, knowing what Havoc was actually asking, before Al could say anything, hoping his little brother wouldn't argue but, naturally, he wasn't that lucky.

"Can't we just drop in and say hello to Granny? We haven't seen her for months," Al said. "It's not like we don't have plenty of time to get to Ishval before dark," he added, thwarting Ed's idea to claim that as a reason before he could.

"We can drop in on the way back and see her," Ed told him, hoping the compromise would be enough but, again, he wasn't that lucky.

"It wouldn't be an issue if you did want to spend a few minutes with Ms. Rockbell," Mustang said and it was only the fact that his voice had been genuine when he made the offer that Ed didn't make a sarcastic response or snapped at him.

"I appreciate that but seriously, it would be in all of our best interests to visit Granny on the way back from Ishval," Ed told him. Mustang wasn't the only one to raise a questioning eyebrow in response to that. "Granny is not a fan of the fact that Scar and I are friendly with each other. She doesn't understand how I can be friends with someone who tried to murder me at least twice for no real good reason and nearly managed to do so both times," Ed explained with a small sigh.

"So?" Al asked. "You're the only one who'll get a lecture about that so why can't I say hello to her now?" Al snapped slightly and Ed raised an unimpressed brow.

"Because, little brother," Ed said, voice with a scathing edge to it, telling Al he hadn't appreciated the snappish tone he'd used, "she doesn't like the fact that _you_ haven't stopped me from speaking with Scar regularly. After all, he did attack you as well," Ed informed him. Al's face paled slightly as he realised what Ed was saying. "Still want to pay the old bat a visit and tell her what we're up to?" Ed asked, fully knowing what Al's response would be and, sure enough, Al shook his head.

"No, visiting her after the trip is a good idea," Al said quickly, making Havoc chuckle slightly.

"Are you sure? It sounds like it could be an interesting visit," Mustang said and this time, there was a teasing smirk in his voice that had Ed glaring at him.

"Granny is also of the opinion that you shouldn't be letting me speak with Scar either," Ed snapped. "She thinks that as my commanding officer you should've ordered me to cease communication with him and before you try it," Ed said, cutting Mustang off with a knowing look as the general opened his mouth, "she knows you have no issues with me writing to Scar because I told her," Ed informed him. Mustang scowled when he realised he couldn't try and claim he'd given that order but Ed had ignored it, as he so often does.

"Perhaps paying Ms. Rockbell a visit on the way back from Ishval would be beneficial for us all," Mustang conceded, scowl deepening when Ed, Al and Havoc all laughed at him while Hawkeye's eyes twinkled amusedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter for you guys! Thank you to those who commented on the first one and I'd love to know what you think to this one! See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

Despite Havoc's best attempts, the five of them didn't arrive in Ishval until just on dark, the kind of dark where the sun's last few rays were disappearing below the horizon in spectacular pinks and oranges. To Ed's surprise, Havoc didn't drive the car too far into town, merely only past the first half dozen houses they saw before he pulled the car under a carport with the thickest roof and walls Ed had ever seen used for one. As they drove the car in, going slow enough Ed was sure he could walk faster but he didn't complain since it was obvious Havoc was making sure no one would be surprised by them or the car, Ed took the opportunity to take in his new surroundings.

Although the blonde and his brother had never visited Ishval, they felt they both had a good idea on what Ishval looked like before the war started – thanks to Scar's few tales he'd shared with Al, Mei, Marcoh and Yoki when they were making their way from the northern slums to Liore that Al had then shared with Ed – and stories of what it had looked like during and after the war – thanks to Hawkeye and Mustang's descriptions the rare times they'd spoken of it. What they were seeing now was something of a mixture between the two images in the blondes' heads. Quite a few buildings – more than they'd expected, if the Elrics were being honest – had been rebuilt so well, you wouldn't have known they were even built from ruins, if it hadn't been for the age difference between the building and the bottom thirty or so centimetres of it. Ed suspected the Ishvalans had a mixture of their own work ethic and those like Major Pardi – the third of Belmont's victims –, Scar, and the half dozen other stone and earth alchemists Grumman had sent to assist Ishval in the first few months of rebuilding to thank for the seamless work.

All of the buildings, without fail, were made from stone, though considering they were surrounded by desert, Ed figured it was the best material choice. However, because they were made from what seemed to be unbroken slabs of stone joined together to form the walls and the flat roof, this left the buildings a little basic looking, even with the light blue, cream or off-white paint jobs the completed ones had. Several of the homes Ed could see had an angular wooden awning that was situated on the side of the house with some kind of heavy cloth draped over it to provide a shaded place outside for the Ishvalen homeowner to use. The windows themselves had wooden shutters – some covered in cloth and some not – propped open above them to entice a breeze inside during the day and to prevent the freezing desert air from entering the house at night once they were closed.

Some of the buildings were built with different intentions; double or even triple storey and with enough windows for Ed to assume two or three dozen people could fit and sleep comfortably inside together, acting as a hotel or meeting hall. A few of the buildings surrounding them had extended entrances or arched door frames but, for the most part, the buildings Ed presumed were homes were basic single storey squared structures and Ed found himself loving them. They had to be easier to maintain than wooden or brick homes and they seemed like the kind of low-maintenance place Ed would prefer to own over the complicated sounding house Winry dreamt of owning one day. Honestly, where she was going to find a three-storey home where the top level would be a massive open design for a workshop and the one below it would have numerous – but spacious – rooms for her patients to stay in was beyond Ed.

Grumbling slightly to himself as he got out of the car – it was not comfortable the longer you sat in it, no matter what Havoc said – movement on Ed's left caught his attention and his eyes took in the person who had come out to greet them. In the near year it had been since Ed had last seen the redeemed serial killer, Scar had certainly changed enough that he was almost unrecognisable. The fact that he was now dressed in the traditional robes the respected Ishvalen elders seemed to favour rather than his trademark yellow jacket and black pants certainly aided in Ed's inability to recognise the man straight away. These robes seemed to be identical to the robes Ed had seen a couple of Ishvalens wore. The material covered almost the entirety of Scar's body, leaving his arms bare though his left shoulder had a matching sash draped over it, secured at his waist to hold the robes and sash in place by a wide material belt. His outfit was predominately white with small stripes of colour added to the sash, belt, sleeve and hem of his robes. At first glance, it looked as though Scar hadn't been outside while wearing this outfit but Ed's keen eyes picked up the stain of red dirt on the hem of the robe and sash created by Scar walking through the desert sand that surrounded them.

But aside from the other obvious changes – slightly longer hair, sandalled feet, etc. – the thing that got Ed the most was how peaceful Scar seemed. The glimpse he'd gotten of the Ishvalan as he was escorted by General Armstrong and a few other Briggs soldiers to the car General Armstrong had waiting had shown him a man who was physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally exhausted. It was as though all of the rage Scar had held onto for eight or so years, had allowed to fester and linger even after speaking with Major Miles in Baschool, had drained from him the moment Wrath and Father had been killed, leaving an aimless man behind for Armstrong and Miles to help find a new, worthy goal.

"Scar!" Ed greeted, forgetting about his suitcase in favour of heading for the man and holding out his right hand for him to shake. He looked a little startled but Ed originally figured it was because he hadn't expected Ed to be so enthusiastic in greeting him. The fact that some of that enthusiasm was because he was _finally_ out of that car was something he didn't think the Ishvalen needed to know. "It's good to see you in person after so long. Sorry for the short notice," Ed said with an apologetic smile. With how slow the mail system was to and from Ishval, Ed had only just received Scar's newest letter that very morning. Thankfully, the Ishvalens had no issues with two extra people joining Mustang on this trip.

"It's excellent to see you as well, Edward," Scar said, a small amount of warmth and Ed only _just_ managed to hold back a twitch of surprise at the tone, though he couldn't be blamed since Scar had always been either severely pissed off and murderous towards him or he had been neutral. "I'm pleased you are in such good health," Scar added, red eyes apparently checking Ed over for injuries as he released the blonde's hand. Ed noticed that despite the slightly warmer tone, Scar didn't seem to be all that comfortable around him and Ed found himself wondering if Scar had initially been startled for the reason he'd assumed.

"Yeah, I haven't been sent after any idiots recently so no need for me to get into a fight," Ed told him with a grin that Scar returned somewhat strained. Ed wondered if it was strained because Scar hadn't smiled for so long or if it was because of them. Though he longed to ask why the Ishvalen was still fairly standoffish with him – considering he'd not shown any hostility himself and certainly didn't feel any – he decided against it. He could always ask later when they were somewhere more private.

"Don't worry, Brother," Al huffed exaggeratingly as he joined the two, "I'll get the heavy suitcase," he said, letting go of said suitcase's handle so it thudded to the ground.

"Cheers, Al," Ed said, giving off the impression he'd missed the soft growl of annoyance in Al's voice. "Scar, I know you already know him but let me introduce my brother now that he has his flesh body back," Ed said, pulling Al forward roughly enough the younger blonde stumbled slightly.

"Hey, Scar," Al said with a small wave and cautious smile. "Nice to see you again. Thank you for checking up on me through your letters with Ed. That was really kind of you," Al said sincerely.

"I am pleased to see that you are also looking as healthy as you should be," Scar said, grabbing the hand Al extended towards him. "I'm not sure if I ever said as much to your brother in our letters but I am glad that you were able to achieve your goals in the end," Scar told them, eyes and voice nothing but genuine.

"Half of our goals," Al muttered, causing the older three Amestrians to look saddened while Scar looked a touch confused and concerned. Ed, on the other hand, rolled his eyes as he grabbed the suitcase Al had dropped none too gently on the ground with his automail hand.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, Alphonse. I don't care that I still have my automail," Scar's confusion cleared at Ed's words, "and it's a good thing I didn't get them back," Ed said. "You know just as well as I do that I would be released from the hospital after breaking a limb only to land right back in the bloody building because I've broken it again because I forgot it wasn't made of steel," Ed told him. "Scar can tell you just how much I rely on my automail to take the brunt of a blow during a fight!" Ed saw the small twitch Scar gave and, together with Scar's slightly reserved attitude, Ed wondered if the redeemed serial killer perhaps hadn't fully believed him when he'd responded to the first letter Scar had sent him after Promised Day. Ed's response to the guilt-laden and apologetic letter had been one of forgiveness and assurances that Ed no longer held a grudge against the Ishvalen but he could see now that Scar mustn't have completely believed it to be true.

Though he'd been unable to really process Scar's confession regarding Winry's parents when he'd heard it firsthand, thanks mainly to the fact that Ed was still trying to uncover everything about Promised Day without drawing the military's or Fuhrer Bradley's attention, he'd had plenty of time to process everything while he was waiting next to Al's bedside. Ed had initially struggled with the fact that the only reason Winry's mother and father – his and Alphonse's pseudo aunt and uncle – hadn't come back from the medical front-lines of the Ishvalen Civil War was because Scar had killed them but he just couldn't find it in himself to leave Al's hospital room to try and exact any sort of revenge. Ed couldn't bring himself to continue that vicious cycle of violence he and Scar had been caught in, especially with what Winry had told him during her next visit after he'd received Scar's first letter.

Somehow he'd been both surprised and unsurprised when Winry had told him that she had managed to completely forgive the Ishvalen for his actions when he cautiously raised the subject. Ed and Al both knew she would never be anything near friendly towards Scar, not that anyone could blame her or Pinako, but both had ultimately forgiven Scar for his actions, having decided they would prefer let go of their hate and anger rather than let it fester like Scar had done. In doing so, they had unwittingly helped Ed with the internal debate that had raged in his mind when he'd first received a letter from Scar, offering his own apology to the brothers and asking Ed if he would 'please consider giving the immediate family of the Rockbell doctors my sincerest and most heart-felt apology for the unbearable suffering and grief my anger and pain caused them', as Scar had said.

Complete forgiveness was not something Ed gave easily, especially when the action he was being asked for forgiveness for was the intentional injury or death of someone he counted as family. However when he saw that Winry and Pinako were both willing to forgive Scar – even if it was mainly so they could move on with their lives – he knew he could do the same thing. The fact that Scar had offered a genuine, heartfelt apology full of regret and guilt with no excuses or expectations of forgiveness from anyone for the deaths of the two Rockbell doctors had further helped Ed decided whether he could forgive the man for their deaths.

However, despite the fact that Ed had been honest during his first letter – bluntly telling Scar that though Ed and his family wouldn't forget he'd been the reason they hadn't come back from the war, he was forgiven for the deaths of Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell – and telling the Ishvalen that he was still welcome to send letters to him should he want to speak to someone he wouldn't see often or wanted updates on Amestris and that Ed would always answer, it seemed that there was still some reservation around the Ishvalen.

"It is true," Scar said mildly, bringing Ed out of his thoughts and back to the conversation. "Edward did utilise his right arm and left leg more during our fights than his other limbs." Acting as though he hadn't just been trying to psychoanalyse the Ishvalen, Ed shot a victorious grin at his little brother.

Al let out a defeated sigh. "I get it," he said before muttering, "I still feel guilty about it though."

Ed punched him lightly in the shoulder with his left hand. "You'll get over it eventually when you get sick of me informing you just how many times during a fight having automail prevented me from breaking a limb," Ed informed him, grinning when Al groaned theatrically.

"You would do that to me," Al muttered, glaring venomlessly at his elder brother.

"Of course I would," Ed said with a slightly sadistic pleasure. "I'm your big brother. It's literally my job and genuine delight to annoy you," Ed said with a pleased grin. He caught the sad glint in Scar's eyes as he and Al bantered and mentally cursed himself when he figured out why that look would be in his eyes after a moment. Before he could do anything though, the sound of a throat being cleared sounded from behind him and Al and he glanced over to see his three travelling companions looking various levels of impatient. "Oh, right," Ed said, looking back at Scar. "You probably remember Brigadier-General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye but I don't think you've ever officially met 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc before," Ed said, gesturing with his left hand at the blonde smoker standing behind him.

Scar nodded to the man as he looked at him. "Yes, I believe I remember him from East City during our first fight," Scar said before he extended a hand for Havoc to take. "It's good to meet you. Edward often mentions you in his letters with me," Scar told him as Havoc shook his hand.

"All good things, I'm sure," Havoc said with a grin that turned nervous at the sight of Ed's smirk.

"For the most part," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder, smirk widening when Havoc dropped Scar's hand and seemed to start mentally going through everything that he'd told Ed about or that the blonde had witnessed in the last 10 or so months since he'd been speaking with the redeemed serial killer.

"It's good seeing you healed, Scar," Hawkeye said, her professional mask in place but Ed could see some sincereness in her eyes. "I never got the chance to thank you for what you did to protect us, to help protect me, during Promised Day so I'd like to take that chance now. Thank you," Hawkeye said solemnly, offering her hand to the slightly stunned looking Ishvalen.

"I'm pleased to see that Mei's alkahestry and everyone's efforts were enough to make sure you survived the fight, Captain," Scar said genuinely as he shook her hand before letting it go. Ed noticed Scar's eyes fall to Hawkeye's neck, where the scarred injury was hidden by her uniform, before they flicked away a split second later as he spoke. Having said all he was obviously going to say to Hawkeye, that only left one person for Scar to greet and Ed had to admit he was a little worried about it. He knew, of course, that Mustang had been one of the main alchemists responsible for the complete devastation of Scar's home village and he knew that both men still suffered from the results of Mustang's actions during that time. Much to his and Mustang's barely visible surprise, Scar held his right hand out for Mustang to shake. "I'm gladdened to see that your injuries weren't permanent either, General Mustang," Scar said. Though pleasant and friendly his words were, there was an undercurrent of tension in Scar's voice that told Ed that Scar obviously wasn't sure if he meant the words or not himself.

To his credit, Mustang didn't let his surprise slow his reactions down. Grasping Scar's hand firmly, he gave the man a nod. "As am I," Mustang said, dropping Scar's hand.

" _Who's that?"_ Red's voice effectively cut through the uncomfortable feeling Ed had as he watched the two men awkwardly and tensely greet one another. He jolted but because he was standing slightly behind Al, his movement went largely unnoticed by everyone. Only Hawkeye and Havoc saw it but Ed shook his head quickly and deftly tapped his finger against his temple twice to tell the two blondes that it was just the Lions, causing both of them to relax slightly.

"Way to give me a heart attack!" Ed mentally hissed at the Red Lion as he kept his attention on the scene in front of him, just in case he needed to intervene. Thankfully though, it seemed Mustang had directed the conversation to his official tasks during this visit while Scar filled Mustang in on the plans he and the other Ishvalen elders had devised for the three days the five of them were to spend in Ishval. Despite probably needing to know this information, Ed paid most of his attention to the sheepish, yet amused, Lion in his mind.

" _Sorry,"_ Red said, sounding almost completely like she wasn't. _"I forgot Black had asked us to mute our bond with you so we wouldn't be distracted while Allura was talking to us,"_ Red explained. The honesty of her words was what had Ed forgiving her and the four other amused Lions he could now feel as their bond strengthened to normal levels once more.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said, mentally waving the apology off so he could ask what he'd been dying to ask all day. "What's happening? Is everything alright?"

" _Not really,"_ Black was the one to answer him and with her words, Ed felt his worry skyrocket. Black noticed immediately and guilt surged through her. _"Please don't panic! I apologise, cub. I didn't think before I spoke,"_ Black said, trying to soothe him at the same time she beat herself up.

Ed took a deep breath quietly as he continued watching the group in front of him. Al was asking about rebuilding efforts and whether he and Ed could possibly help while they were here and he let his brother's voice calm him the rest of the way down. "I'm alright," he promised the Lions as he nodded to Scar's question about whether he would be willing to help if someone asked for it as there was still a lot of construction happening in Ishval. "What is going on?" Ed asked, a little more harshly than necessary but the Lions didn't seem to take offense.

" _Princess Allura received an urgent message from a cluster of three planets four galaxies away from us,"_ Blue told him when Black hesitated in speaking. Ed sent waves of forgiveness and warmth through his bond to the Black Lion to show her that he really wasn't upset with her while Blue spoke. _"There have been reports in that area for several quintets now but Allura didn't say anything until today because she got the final confirmation she needed from the species on the planets to prove what they were saying was true,"_ Blue told him, cutting him off from asking why Allura hadn't said anything sooner before he could even try.

" _10,000 years ago, several deca-phoebs after Allura was born,"_ Green started to explain before realising she'd said something to cause Ed some confusion. _"Ah, a deca-phoeb is pretty much an Earthen year,"_ she explained. Ed made a small, mental noise of confirmation before encouraging her to continue. _"Anyways, several deca-phoebs after Allura was born, Haggar – or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Honerva – fell pregnant with a half Galran, half Altean child she'd conceived with Zarkon. Allura isn't sure of the details but Alfor had mentioned a few phoebs – er, months to you – into her pregnancy that Honerva was severely ill and that both she and her unborn child were unlikely to survive the pregnancy,"_ Green told him, a touch of sadness in her voice and Ed wondered if the Lions had been close to Honerva before she'd turned into Haggar.

" _The destruction of the Galrans home planet, Daibazaal, happened shortly before Zarkon betrayed us and Allura and Coran are of the belief that the birth of Lotor happened after Altea was destroyed since the news of a Galran prince being born would've reached them even with Zarkon having banned all Galran from visiting Altea. Allura is now of the opinion that whatever happened to Zarkon and Honerva to turn them into what you and General Mustang helped us defeat happened between Honerva falling ill and Zarkon pulling the Galran from Altea but she hasn't discovered what happened to them yet,"_ Green told him and while interesting, Ed wasn't sure what that had to do with what was going on right now so he decided to move the conversation along. He could always ask for details later.

"And I'm guessing this Lotor guy is what's causing all the drama on your end?" Ed asked and received five nods in return.

" _Yes,"_ Black confirmed verbally. _"As you could imagine, Allura was shocked to hear that Lotor was still alive after 10,000 years since, as I said, she didn't even know he'd survived being born. Part of the reason it took her so long to tell us about everything was because both she and Coran have been digging into the Galran data we've gathered from our missions to try and find out whether Lotor was truly the child Honerva had fallen pregnant with 10,000 years ago or if Haggar and Zarkon had somehow produced a child more recently. Everything they've found has told them that Lotor is the child Alfor was told Honerva was pregnant with before Zarkon turned on him,"_ Black told him, sadness in her voice at the memories of her old pilot and what he'd turned into.

"So how is he alive after 10,000 years?" Ed asked. "I'm assuming Haggar and Zarkon didn't keep him alive however they kept themselves alive and I find it hard to believe that he was put into a cryotube like Miss Allura and Coran were and was awoken within months of them," Ed said, his voice expressing just how much he didn't believe the idea.

"Are you coming, Brother?" Al asked, breaking Ed's attention from the Lions and bringing it to the five people in front of him. Scar's brow was furrowed slightly while the other four looked amused or concerned but like they knew what was happening, telling Ed that Hawkeye and Havoc had managed to let Al and Mustang know the Lions were back in contact with Ed.

"Sorry, lost in thought," Ed said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly and smiling apologetically at Scar. "What's happening?" Ed asked as the five of them headed for the house their car was parked next to. "Sorry but we'll have to continue this later," Ed said mentally to the Lions and felt them rub up against their bond to show that they weren't upset and they'd pick the conversation back up when he was ready before he focused back on the others. He caught sight of Mustang's curious look but shook his head, telling the man he didn't have anything urgent to tell him. With that, Mustang looked away while Hawkeye and Havoc flanked him as Ed and Al trailed behind Scar.

"My master and Major Miles are both waiting inside for the five of you to join us for dinner and further discussion on your plans here," Scar answered Ed as he led them up the small dirt path to the house. "As one of the few surviving elders of Ishval before, my master will be the one who will be predominately accompanying your group around Ishval, alongside myself and Major Miles since we both have the most history with the five of you," Scar explained.

Before Ed could ask anything further, Scar opened the front door made from thick wood and led them all inside. Ed could feel the five Lions pressing on his mind as they took in the room with interest. It was bare, far barer than any room Ed had seen and it reminded the blonde somewhat of Kanama, only this house was made of stone with wooden doors and window frames rather than dilapidated wood and moth-eaten cloth like the shelters in Kanama had been. Though he hadn't had the chance to truly explore a house in Kanama, Ed had still glimpsed inside of a few buildings while he, Greed, Darius and Heinkel were walking through the slum and he'd been saddened by what he'd seen.

Many of the refugees barely had something to call a bed and their shacks were only as big as they had to be to fit the needed amount of people inside without them being literally stacked on top of each other. They only had the furniture that they needed – chairs for the elderly to sit on during the day, a box or container to try to keep their foodstuff safe from animals and criminals, etc. – and little else. In much the same regard, Scar's home – assuming this was Scar's house, something Ed hadn't actually asked – wasn't furnished with a lot of things. There was a table and chairs capable of sitting eight people in the dining room with a small kitchen that was filled with none of the appliances Ed and Al were used to in Gracia's or even their childhood home's kitchen.

A quick look showed Ed a small pit blackened with ash that still glowed with embers that told him that Scar – or whoever owned the house – likely cooked their meals over an open flame. Sitting off to the side was a small pile of kindling and a larger pile of wood for burning. Next to that was a blackened metal contraption that Ed finally realised was the oven that was placed over the fire for the Ishvalens to use. It had a smooth, flat top used for holding pots as they boiled when over open flame – as evidenced by the large pot sitting on the flat surface – with one half having a small grill for the meat. It had a hollow middle with a pull-down lid for baking breads or pastries and all of it sat on four sturdy legs that were just wider than the pit was. Ed could see a door leading away from the loungeroom they'd entered into and he guessed – judging by what he'd seen of the house outside – there were up to two extra rooms through the door.

Just as Scar said, two men sat at the table, conversing quietly with one another, although that had stopped when the five led by Scar had entered the room. The first man – the elder of the two was bald but sported a thick white moustache – Ed didn't recognise but the second he did and that was who was first to greet them. "General Mustang," Major Miles said, standing to his feet and snapping a salute that Mustang dismissed immediately. "Captain, Lieutenant, it's good to see the both of you," Miles said, nodding to the two aforementioned blondes before turning his attention to the two he hadn't addressed. Ed noticed immediately that Miles wasn't wearing his trademark glasses to hide his red Ishvalen eyes. "Major Elric and Alphonse. I heard the two of you were paying us a visit," Miles said, giving them both what Ed thought was meant to be a smile but honestly could've been a glare. He'd never quite been able to read Miles accurately.

"Actually, Major Miles, Fullmetal was recently promoted to lieutenant-colonel," Mustang corrected, giving Ed a smirk that had the blonde glaring at him.

"You bastard," Ed snarled before noticing Miles raising his arm to salute. "Don't do that. You don't need to salute me, Major," Ed told him, holding a hand out as though physically wanting to stop the half-Ishvalen.

The spiky grey-haired man raised a brow before lowering his hand with a nod. "Congratulations on your promotion, Fullmetal," Miles said, brow not lowering when Ed let out a groan that had his brother patronisingly pat him on the back in a mocking show of comfort. "I'm surprised the five of you managed to arrive before dark," Miles said conversationally and Havoc gave him a nod.

"We got lucky. The train to Resembool ran on time for once," Havoc told him and Miles looked just as surprised as they had been when the conductor had announced they were pulling into Resembool on time.

The slight scraping of wood on stone had all of their attention brought to the elderly man who had been sitting with Miles. Scar stepped forward immediately, a look of respect and caring on his face that Ed couldn't recall seeing ever as he helped the older Ishvalen around the table. "Please allow me to introduce my mentor, Master Teman," Scar said once he and Teman were in front of the group. If the look of respect on Scar's face hadn't given it away, Ed would've been able to tell just how much he respected this man from the tone of his voice.

The elderly Ishvalen man eyed them carefully as Mustang took the prerogative and started introducing the group to Master Teman and Ed took the opportunity to study the person Scar called his mentor. His skin was darkened by age and exposure so that Scar looked merely tanned next to him but Ed spotted the crows feet next to his eyes and laugh lines on his face that told Ed this man hadn't always been so stoic. Like Scar, he wore traditional Ishvalen robes but unlike Scar, his underrobe was navy blue, not white. The sash was patterned with a narrow black stripe followed by two narrow orange stripes and it sat draped over the top of the white outer robe, pulled in tight at the waist like Scar's was with a belt. He walked aided with a knobbly walking stick but Ed felt like he wouldn't be surprised to see him kick someone's arse if needed.

Hearing Alphonse introducing himself brought Ed out of his thoughts in time for him to do the same. "Ed Elric," the blonde said, mimicking what everyone else had done and bowing respectfully to the man in front of them.

"It's wonderful to meet those who helped uncover what truly happened to Ishval and helped make sure both our countries would have a future," Teman said, his voice croaked with age but still strong. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Our plan wouldn't have been possible without the willingness of your people, especially your pupil, to help us. Scar's brother's research proved pivotal for our plan and his agreement to decode and help activate the array were key to both our countries being saved. Amestris will always be grateful to Ishval for helping us survive despite our history," Mustang said, guilt lacing his voice as he dipped into a grateful bow.

"Our countries were manipulated into war with Ishval's decimation being the goal by a being who thought itself to be god," Teman reminded him. "Though not held by everyone to the same degree as myself, it is the belief of our people that we should not hold Amestris or her people for the crimes that happened to us. Those who were the true reason for the war and those who took pleasure in being on the warfront have paid or are paying for their crimes. Amestris and Ishval are now at a place where we can coexist side by side together without bloodshed amongst us and I for one hope we stay on this path," Teman told Mustang, holding his gaze.

"As does Amestris," Mustang told him and Ed was certain he wasn't the only one who noticed the general's body posture relax slightly. Evidently Scar wasn't the only person who didn't believe his actions against another had been forgiven and vengeance wasn't wanted against him.

"I'm pleased to hear that," Teman said, a small smile on his face before he looked at Scar. "I believe my pupil cooked dinner earlier so all we need to do it wait for it to heat up before we can enjoy it." Scar gave a nod at Teman's words and took the few steps that would lead him into the kitchen while Miles gestured for everyone to take a seat at the table. After leaving their suitcases and overnight bags next to the front door, the five of them did as they were told.

" _I hope the rest of the night isn't filled with discussion so heavy,"_ Red said, speaking up for the first time since Ed had entered the house. Just like Ed, the Red Lion wasn't a fan of emotionally charged talks, which was why Ed wasn't surprised to find himself nodding in agreement as he sat next to Alphonse.

"I don't believe we've had the chance to talk since Baschool, Fullmetal," Miles said, starting the conversation and drawing Ed's complete attention to him, "so I've never had the opportunity to ask but what happened with Kimblee and his men? Last I saw, you and Kimberlee had disappeared into the snow cloud he'd made before an explosion large enough to destroy the mine occurred only minutes later," Miles said curiously.

Ed could feel several pairs of eyes on him as he tried to figure out how could answer without going into specific details. "Well, Darius and Heinkel – those were the two chimeras who I fought against in Baschool – attacked me in that snow cloud while Kimblee used the cover it provided to try and locate Al and Scar," Ed told the major. "I managed to beat them by turning wet dynamite into ammonia, destroying their sense of smell, before I tracked Kimblee down. He and I fought and I managed to get his Stone away from him as well as slice through one of his arrays, rendering it useless. I thought I'd gotten the upper hand then but it turned out he kept a second Stone hidden," Ed revealed and he saw Miles' brow raise minutely. "He used it to collapse the mine with me, Darius and Heinkel still inside. We were all trapped but I helped the two chimeras escape and in return, they helped me get myself out of danger and took me to a back-alley doctor so we could all get our injuries checked and treated," Ed told him casually, as though he wasn't forcing the memories of being impaled by a sizeable piece of rebar then having it yanked out before using his life force to heal himself enough he didn't die back down into the depths of his minds.

"My men and I were able to reach the bottom of the mine shaft after several days of work and we found large amounts of blood," Miles commented. "I'm surprised you were able to walk out of the mineshaft, even with the help of the chimeras."

Ed wondered briefly if perhaps Miles somehow knew what injuries he'd sustained in that shaft and that he hadn't told Mustang or Alphonse just how severely injured he'd been; however, he caught sight of the honest worry and knew Miles had no idea. "I did receive a very deep wound to my left abdomen and both chimeras suffered their own collection of cuts and gashes. I'm not surprised that you found a large quantity of blood down there," Ed told him, getting as close to admitting the true extent of his injuries as he was going to.

"Well, I am glad that your injuries weren't as severe as my men and I feared," Miles said in his usual nonplussed demeanour but Ed could see the honesty in his face and he felt his cheeks start to pinken at the realisation that Miles had truly been that worried about him.

Ed fought the blush down before it could form even slightly as he nodded but before he could say anything in response, Scar joined them back at the large table. A glance behind the Ishvalen showed that the fire was lit in the pit and that the metal oven/stovetop was sitting over the flames. The yellow and orange flames licked the blackened metal hungrily as it strove to heat it up enough for the pot on it to start bubbling once more. Ed had a very good idea what was waiting for them in that pot and he truly hoped he was right. His stomach gurgled lightly – thankfully not loud enough for anyone else to hear – in agreement with him.

" _Why were you so vague in your answers to Major Miles' questions?"_ Green asked bluntly just as the humans around Ed started once again, discussing the next day's plans while they waited.

Ed kept one ear on the conversation, not wanting to seem rude if his mind was elsewhere, as he spoke to the Lions. "Because, as I'm sure you guessed from my thoughts and feelings, Mustang, Alphonse and the others don't know what happened to me. No one except Darius and Heinkel know the extent of my injuries and what I did to make sure I survived," Ed told them. "Well, them and the doctor who patched me up but still, no one else knows," he amended.

" _Why didn't you tell them?"_ Black asked, her tone a cross between scolding and curious.

"Al and I were separated before Baschool and after that fight with Kimblee I was declared a deserter. I couldn't risk someone from the military finding me because I reached out to Mustang or Hawkeye and I couldn't leave where I was in order to find Al until I could walk without spitting up blood," Ed told her. "You saw my memories. You know how severe that wound was. If I tried leaving the doctor's place before he released me, I risked doing more damage to myself and rendering the years of my life I sacrificed to heal it as much as I did a waste."

" _But why not after Promised Day? I'm sure your brother or General Mustang asked about the fight as well,"_ Blue said and Ed sighed lightly through his nose before he could stop himself. Luckily, no one seemed to notice it.

"Because I didn't want to cause Al any more stress than he was already under," Ed said softly. "He was so weak and frail that I was scared that the news that I shortened my lifespan intentionally because of an injury I gained in a fight I should've let Miles or his sniper handle would cause him to fret and set back his recovery weeks, if not months," Ed admitted. "And you've gotta remember that while our relationship improved slightly after Promised Day, Mustang and I weren't as close as we are now," Ed told them, feeling a touch uncomfortable admitting that he and Mustang were anything more than tolerable towards one another.

" _So why didn't you tell them now?"_ Yellow asked. _"They likely wouldn't have caused a fuss since you're in Ishval and supposed to be making a good impression,"_ she pointed out.

"Because of that," Ed said, surprising the Lion. "It's been over a year since that injury happened and I haven't told them what happened. If I chose now to come clean, a time where they had to hold their tongues for a couple more days, the fallout would be a million times worse. No," Ed said, mentally shaking his head, "I can't tell them and I won't. It's in the past and there is no point in them worrying over something we don't know when will happen," Ed said firmly.

" _Are you sure -?"_ Blue started saying but Ed shut her down.

"No," Ed snapped at her, anger blazing through his bond with the Blue Lion before he could stop it and he felt her flinch back from him. Immediate regret replaced his anger and he snarled at himself. He'd been doing so good with keeping a lid on his temper and he had to go and lose it at one of the few beings who didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry, Blue," Ed said the moment he felt the last clinging bit of anger disappear. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You were only trying to help."

" _Perhaps you shouldn't have but I shouldn't have pushed you like I did. It's your decision and I should've respected that,"_ Blue said, mentally smiling at him and Ed's heart dropped slightly when he felt the shakiness of it through their bond. _"I'm sorry I didn't."_

"There's nothing to forgive but I'll give you mine if you'll give me yours," Ed said. Part of him knew the Blue Lion truly wasn't upset with him over something this small but part of him did fear that this burst of unwarranted anger would affect their relationship and he didn't want that.

" _Of course you're forgiven, Ed,"_ Blue said warmly. _"It's impossible to stay mad at you anyway,"_ she told him with a small smirk.

"– would be willing to offer our help with the rebuilding efforts, wouldn't we, Brother?" Al's voice brought Ed's attention back to the conversation completely and he nodded in agreement, even before Al's words completely registered.

"Yeah, we'd both be happy to help," Ed said, mentally apologising to the Lions for abruptly cutting their conversation short once more. "We'd just need to know what we can offer without offending your religion," Ed added, looking at Teman.

"We aren't as rigid in our views on alchemy as we once were," Teman told them before Al could hiss at Ed for his bluntness. "Our years living in Amestris as refugees and this past year of working alongside alchemists to rebuild our country have mellowed our belief that alchemy is an insult to Ishvala," Teman said. "Having one of our own able to wield alchemy has also gone a long way to softening our views towards it," he admitted with a nod to Scar. "That being said, we will only accept alchemical aid in rebuilding our homes and buildings and a select few other ways that would significantly decrease the time until Ishval has been completely restored, like finding water wells or constructing roads," Teman warned them. "Ishvalens are a hardworking people who are still getting used to the idea of alchemy being used around them so freely and it's because of that that I would ask that you respect any civilian who turns down your offer of alchemy."

Ed frowned slightly. "Yeah, of course," Ed agreed immediately. "We might use alchemy for many things but we're good with physical labour too so it'd be no issue for us to help out with other stuff the more traditional way," Ed told Teman while Al nodded agreeably alongside him.

"Your help – no matter how it is given – will be greatly appreciated. There is still much to do before Ishval is returned to her former glory," Teman said, a slightly glazed look in his eyes as he remembered times long gone. The clink of metal on metal broke Teman out of his memories and he looked over in time to see Scar leave the table to check on the pot over the fire. "I apologise. Old men can't seem to help getting lost in their thoughts," Teman said with a slightly sheepish smile. "Now where were we?"

"Sorry but I think I should actually pay attention to what they're talking about so I know what Al tries to get me to agree to," Ed said to the Lions as Miles spoke.

" _That's alright. We only took a break to get dinner. We've still got things to discuss with Allura about this Lotor problem so we'll talk to you later, alright?"_ Blue said, slight amusement in her voice at the suspicious tone Ed had used.

"Keep me in the loop," Ed requested. He felt five agreements before the bond was dulled once more and he was no longer distracted by the Lions. He leaned forward slightly on the table as Scar joined them once more while Mustang and Teman discussed their plans for the second half of tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those you commented on the last chapter! You made my day! Please let me know what you think to this chapter :) See you all next week!


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner had ended up being stew – exactly what Ed had thought and hoped it would be – and although it wasn't as good as Pinako's or his mother's, it was still tasty enough for Ed to devour his bowlful in record time. Though tempted by Teman's slightly amused offer to help himself to a second bowl, Ed declined since the bowlful he'd had was pretty filling and he knew the Ishvalens were still trying to set up sustainable food sources, meaning that everything they had food-wise at the moment was provided for them by Amestris and those deliveries only happened monthly, when the alchemists provided by Grumman rotated out with their replacements. Judging from the size of the pot and how much Ed had seen served, he knew the leftovers would likely be kept for breakfast or lunch the next day and he knew he could wait that long for some more stew. Judging from the looks he managed to glimpse on Mustang and Al's faces before they quickly hid them, he knew they were shocked at his polite refusal and claims he was full.

Throughout dinner, their plans for the next day were finally finalised – Mustang having had specific things he needed to check on and do on Grumman's behalf and Teman trying to accommodate all of that so it could be completed the next day so Mustang and the other's would be free to explore Ishval at their leisure. During the conversation, Ed and Al shared a look with Havoc – the smoker looking less than thrilled about the idea of accompanying Mustang to what would amount to be numerous meetings and checks of various sections of the newly built village – and came to the silent agreement that they would be escaping at the first opportunity and offering their help to the first person they saw who might need it. All three of them knew that Hawkeye would be more than enough to protect Mustang's back and that Scar and Miles would likely step in to help if need be.

Before Ed knew it, everyone had finished their dinner and Scar was collecting their dinner plates, refusing Ed and Al's offers to help politely but firmly. While Scar was busy in the kitchen, Teman spoke up once more. "The last thing I believe we need to discuss tonight are sleeping arrangements," the elder said. "Miles has graciously offered his home for your use during your stay. The only problem is that he only has enough beds for three people," Teman revealed. "He has accepted my offer to use my guest room so three of you may stay in his home. The other two, however," Teman said, voice growing thoughtful as he tried to figure out a solution that wouldn't put anyone else out when a voice spoke up.

"The Elric brothers are welcome to stay in my spare room, Master," Scar said from the kitchen. Both brothers shot each other a quick look and Ed knew in that moment that he hadn't been the only one to notice Scar's well-hidden reservation towards them. Al had as well and he was just as surprised by Scar's offer as Ed was.

"Thank you, Scar," Teman said, a hint of pride in his voice, before anyone else could say anything. "So long as there aren't any objections from the two young men, of course," he added, looking at the brothers questioningly.

"Not from me. Al?" Ed asked but, as Ed expected, Al shook his head immediately. A glimpse at his commanding officer showed Mustang sharing looks with Hawkeye and Havoc.

"While your offer is certainly appreciated, Scar, are you sure you're willing to house Fullmetal for the next four nights? It isn't unheard of for him to find trouble in the most isolated of places," Mustang said. Though his words were obviously said with a hint of teasing to them, his attempt to mask his true worries with a barbed comment at Ed's expense didn't work as well as he'd obviously hoped.

"There has been no major trouble in Ishval since our lands were given back to us but I give you my word, General Mustang, that both boys will be as safe here as they would be anywhere else," Scar told him, meeting Mustang's gaze firmly for one of the few times that night.

Ed wasn't sure what exactly was happening between the two men but he could guess. With the fact that Mustang was one of the main reasons that Scar's home village was completely decimated combined with Ed and Al's violent history with Scar and Mustang's overprotective tendencies towards those on his team, Ed knew Mustang couldn't quite trust that the man in front of him was willing to house Ed and Al without there being a hidden agenda. As for Scar, Ed figured that the Ishvalen was more worried about what would happen if Mustang took his words as some kind of threat. Both Scar and Ed had witnessed Mustang losing control on Promised Day when Envy revealed that he had been the one to pull the trigger and end Hughes' life and Ed wondered if that memory was playing at the forefront of Scar's mind as he took in Mustang's hesitance to let the boys accept his offer. Despite all of this, it took all Ed's self-control to not spit at Mustang that he wasn't in any sort of danger from Scar and that he and Al could damned well look after themselves even if they were.

"Very well. As long as you're certain they won't be putting you out or causing you any trouble," Mustang said after a few moments, somewhat reluctantly. Ed was a little surprised there wasn't more hesitation from the flame alchemist's part until he realised what this was. It was Mustang's way of showing Scar just how much trust he was placing in the Ishvalen, which of course was its own subtle warning about how much danger Scar would be in if he attacked either Elric brother.

"I'm sure," Scar told him with a nod that Mustang returned a moment later. Throughout the whole exchange, no one else had so much as cleared their throat. Everyone too busy either trying to figure out if a fight was about to break out or assessing the situation for what it was.

"I do hate to sound pushy but it is growing late and we do have an early start in the morning," Teman said as he rose from the table, "so I suggest that those of us not staying in this house takes their leave," he told them, reaching for his walking stick as he pushed his chair away from the table. His words had everyone else standing on their feet, with Scar moving to assist the elder Ishvalen however needed. "Thank you for dinner, Scar. It was delicious," Teman said to the other man.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Master Teman," Scar said, eyes watching the older man like a hawk as he moved to the front door. Miles, Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc all took turns thanking Scar for the meal as they followed the two older Ishvalens to the front door while Ed and Al hung back further in the room, not wanting to be in the way since they wouldn't be leaving.

"Major Miles, Master Teman, would you like us to give you a lift to your homes?" Mustang asked as he and the two Amestrians going with him picked up their bags.

"Thank you, General Mustang. We would appreciate it," Miles said after consulting with Teman for a moment. Mustang nodded in acceptance of his answer before he turned to the two brothers.

"We'll be fine, Mustang," Ed said, rolling his eyes at the older alchemist before he could say anything. "Go and get your beauty rest. Truth knows you need it at your age," Ed snarked, earning himself a grin from Havoc, a resigned sigh from Al, an impassive but slightly amused look from Hawkeye and a twitch of annoyance from Mustang. The Ishvalens didn't seem to notice but Ed thought he saw some amusement around Teman and Miles' faces, though he couldn't be certain.

"While I know it's a lot to ask of you in particular, Fullmetal, try not to get yourself into any trouble," Mustang drawled. "I think we'd all agree that it would be a pleasant change in pace if nothing other than what we have planned happens on this trip," he said with a smirk that Ed responded to with a glare.

"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble," Al said before Ed could snap back at the smug general and earned himself a growl from his older brother for his troubles.

"Try not to miss your paperwork too much, Mustang," Ed said, determined to get the last barb in and his comment had Hawkeye giving Mustang a look that told him to be very careful with how he responded next.

Though the general had caught up on his accumulated paperwork after their Voltron adventure in less time than Hawkeye had foreseen, with a lot less complaining than she expected and Hawkeye hadn't been forced to threaten him with her gun since that adventure, the blonde captain still hadn't forgiven him completely for choosing to spend near ten days in a different dimension in an effort to avoid his duties as a general and they all knew it. Mustang still didn't think the pointed comments she sometimes made about how Ed had managed to complete Mustang's paperwork in a timely manner while he was under arrest for Belmont's crimes so the blonde could then dedicate the rest of the day to trying to apprehend the real serial killer were completely warranted. He'd only been stupid enough to mutter about how maybe he should give Ed his job and command of his team if Hawkeye preferred his work ethic over Mustang's so much loud enough for his captain to hear him once. The lecture he'd received from her in response had been more than enough to not only make sure he never said it again but to fuel the other members of his team with enough teasing material to last them nearly two months.

Havoc, unfortunately, had apparently decided to be the mature voice – since Hawkeye was still silently daring Mustang to respond – and stop any sort of banter for the night. "We best be going so we can get some sleep like Master Teman suggested. We'll see you three in the morning," the blonde smoker said with a tired grin and Ed figured he could forgive him for preventing his and Mustang's impending verbal spar since it was obvious that all the blonde wanted to do was fall into his borrowed bed. Ed couldn't blame him since the man had spent several hours driving with minimal breaks.

"See ya, guys," Ed said with a cheery wave, smirking when Mustang wasn't quick enough to hide his pout at the fact he hadn't been able to retort.

"Have a good night, Edward, Alphonse," Hawkeye said, her eyes warning them to behave themselves so she verbally didn't have to.

"You too, Miss Riza," Al said, echoed a moment later by Ed.

"We'll meet you in the town square tomorrow morning, Master Teman," Scar rumbled quietly and Teman gave a nod of agreement to his words.

"Good night, Scar," Teman said with a smile while Miles nodded his own goodbye behind the Ishvalen elder. "Enjoy your stay, Edward and Alphonse. We shall see you tomorrow," Teman said, facing the two boys and they both immediately dipped into bows.

"Thank you, Master Teman," Ed said as he rose.

"Have a good night." Al smiled once he had straightened, earning himself a small one from Teman in return.

As Teman and Miles moved through the door first, Ed locked eyes with Mustang, who then pointedly moved his gaze to Ed's red jacket's left pocket. Resisting the urge to once again roll his eyes at Mustang's unfounded (in Ed's opinion) worry, Ed patted the pocket gently, letting Mustang silently know that he had his gloves on him. With a small nod, Mustang left the house without so much as a backwards glance, followed closely behind by Hawkeye and Havoc, both of whom turned back to check on the brothers one more time before they left their sight for the next few hours. Scar followed them but stopped a couple of steps outside of his home so he could watch them leave, leaving the two boys alone in the house for the first time.

"What did Mustang want?" Al asked quietly and Ed jolted slightly. He hadn't even realised Al had witnessed the silent exchange. Obviously though, Al hadn't been able to witness the whole thing since he was asking for clarification.

"He just wanted to make sure I had my gloves in my pockets. Fucking worry-wart he is," Ed tacked on with a shake of his head. He heard Al sigh through his nose but his little brother didn't say a word in response, settling to just hum to show he'd heard what Ed had said. Subconsciously, Ed slipped his left hand into his red jacket's left pocket to confirm that he did actually have his gloves in there.

One of the first things Mustang had done when he took Ed on as a flame alchemy student was show him how to make a pair of ignition gloves of his own. Of course, he hadn't given Ed step-by-step instructions on how to make the solution he used so Ed was forced to figure it out on his own, armed only with a pair of Mustang's own gloves to examine and his genius intellect. A few small explosions later, Ed had the formula worked out and Mustang agreed to help him apply it to the red gloves he'd created from material on the Voltron Castle-Ship. They'd decided to stitch the array Ed needed onto the palm of each glove; a decision made mainly because Ed didn't want to risk someone somehow seeing it and because he still wanted to be able to use his automail blade without destroying one of his last lines of defence since he _had_ promised Hawkeye he would never use flame alchemy unless he absolutely had to.

While they were both working on his red gloves, Mustang had surprised Ed by asking him whether he'd considered stitching certain arrays on his black pair of gloves. Frowning at the flame alchemist, Ed had queried what kind of arrays he would even consider stitching on them since there were very few arrays complicated enough that he couldn't or wouldn't activate them by clapping – in the case of his energy based arrays like his tracking one – or by creating a completely internal circle for pretty much every other array he used. When it came to flame alchemy, Ed hadn't even fought Mustang when the man had informed that there would be absolutely no way Ed wouldn't need a physical array to use his alchemy. The blonde was all too aware of just how much control flame alchemy needed and he'd only ever used it the once against Belmont at that point.

Mustang had rolled his eyes at Ed before suggesting he stitch his tracking array onto one of the black gloves and his absorbing array onto the other. Ed hadn't appreciated the tone Mustang had used, one that told Ed how obvious the black-haired alchemist thought the answer should have been. What he did appreciate was the idea and he made sure to pay Mustang back for the tone by admitting how surprised he was that such a good idea had come from the older alchemist. Mustang had grumbled about the comment but Ed came away from that lesson with his two extra pairs of gloves ready for use during a fight.

Ever since that day, Ed had kept his flame alchemy gloves in his black jacket's left hand pocket, knowing full well how often he ended up shedding his trademark coat midway during a fight and not wanting to risk the red gloves being in it when he did just in case he ended up needing them. Since he usually used his tracking array before a fight, if it was needed at all, and his absorbing array after it, he wasn't too worried about keeping them close by during a fight so they stayed in his red jacket's left pocket when not in use. In the roughly three months since he had been under Mustang's tutelage, Ed was pretty proud of how quickly he could switch out gloves when he needed to now.

The sound of a wooden door thudding softly shut brought Ed and Al's attention to the front door and they watched as Scar slid a rust-covered but solid looking bar across the door, locking it shut for the night. "I know I said there haven't been any major crimes in Ishval since we've lived here once more but I don't think it's wise to tempt fate," Scar said, a touch of apology in his voice.

"No, considering Brother's uncanny ability to attract trouble, that's probably the best decision," Al said, immediately causing Scar to relax minutely and Ed to smack his shoulder lightly with his automail.

"I'll show you to the room you'll be staying in," Scar said, amusement twinkling dully in his eyes but Ed could still see the uneasiness within Scar. The moment he could, Ed resolved to have as long a talk with Ishvalen as he needed to in order to settle this matter. It did help that he did have official orders from Grumman regarding Scar that he could easily use an excuse.

"Thanks, Scar," Ed said as he and Al took the few steps needed to fall in behind the Ishvalen, Ed detouring slightly to grab his and Al's suitcase before his little brother could. The Ishvalen simply nodded once before he led them through the open doorway Ed had spotted earlier and down the short hall.

"This will be your room for the duration of your time in Ishval. I apologise that it's not much," Scar said, a touch of gruffness to his voice as he pushed the thin wooden door open. Ed spared a thought to wonder if it was thinner because it wasn't needed to keep the desert dust out as much as the front door was.

"Thank you, Scar," Al said as he entered the room first, having been gestured to do so by Ed. "This certainly looks a lot cosier than some of the places we've stayed in before, hey, Brother?" Al said with a small laugh that grew as Ed scowled at the memories.

"Honestly, it's definitely one of the cleanest and there's plenty of room for the two of us. Remember that town just east of South City, Al? I can't remember its name now but they basically had us camping in a box," Ed recalled as he placed the suitcase against the wall and in between the two beds before he took a proper look around the room once Al had lit the oil lamp.

There were two narrow sleep mats lined up on the walls on opposite sides of the room to one another. Though neither looked thicker than one of Ed's alchemic texts, they both looked cared after and clean, something Ed was immensely happy to see. He didn't mind roughing it and he didn't mind camping on the dirt but he refused to use blankets or sleep on anything with stains of unknown origins. Both sleep mats had thin pillows at their heads and there were two blankets on each one. A beat-up, wooden night table sat at the foot of the bed Al was closest to and it held only the oil lamp, though Ed thought anything heavier would've made the piece of furniture collapse in on itself. All in all, Ed was pretty happy with the room.

"Yeah, I think the worst part of that trip was your whining," Al teased and was rewarded with Ed flipping him off.

"I'm relieved the two of you are happy with it," Scar said, reminding both boys effectively that he was still there in the room with them. "As water is restricted until we have our well systems completely figured out, there is none available tonight for bathing uses," Scar informed them but both of them shook their heads.

"We don't really need to wash up tonight," Al told him with a gentle smile. "We've been in a car or on a train all day so we're not awfully dirty. Besides, we have our cleaning arrays if we need them," he added as Ed nodded.

Scar dipped his head to show his understanding. "I'll leave you two to get yourselves organised for the night. I'll be either in the kitchen or in the other room should you require anything before morning," Scar told them.

"Awesome. Thanks for agreeing to house us for our stay, Scar," Al said with a smile that Scar couldn't not return, even if it was only slight.

"Yeah, we really appreciate it," Ed added and Scar gave a nod.

"You're welcome," Scar told them both. "Have a good night," he said, hesitating in closing the door behind the boys long enough for them to echo it back before shutting the door behind him.

"Is it just me or has Scar been acting off all night?" Al asked quietly as Ed opened their suitcase.

"No, he'd definitely acting weird," Ed confirmed. "I don't think he truly believes that we have forgiven him for what happened to Uncle Yuriy and Aunt Sarah nor for what he tried doing to us," Ed divulged, speaking just as quietly.

Al hummed in thought as he pulled out his sleep clothes. "I think it might also have something to do with the general and captain as well," Al said and Ed felt a small amount of pride that his brother had also figured that out. "Mustang _was_ one of the few State Alchemists who destroyed Scar's home village and both he and Captain Hawkeye took down a lot of Ishvalen fighters on their own. I can't imagine it would be comfortable having them in your home, even after everything has been revealed and the Ishvalens all agreed to pardon General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye for their crimes against them," Al mused as he got changed into his pyjamas while Ed busied himself finding his own.

"You're probably right about that," Ed said, waiting until he heard no more movement from his brother before he straightened and turned around. "I'm gonna go talk to Scar and see if we can straighten this out. At least the stuff that has to directly do between us and him," Ed said decisively.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Al asked and Ed considered. It probably would seem more genuine coming from the both of them. After all, Scar did only have Ed's word that Al was of the same opinion as Ed regarding their feelings about the redeemed serial killer and his actions against them.

"Wouldn't hurt," Ed said finally and Al nodded before pulling his pants on over his boxers and joined Ed at the door once he'd done so.

Opening the door to reveal an empty hallway and no light coming from under the only other closed door in eyesight, Ed and Al came to the conclusion Scar was still in the kitchen. Making their way swiftly towards the room, they made sure their approach could be heard so they didn't take the Ishvalen by surprise. Neither wanted to see just how Scar would react to that kind of surprise. Rounding the corner to the kitchen, they found Scar standing with his back to them as he scraped out the dinner bowls, setting them aside to be cleaned later. From his tense frame, both boys figured Scar knew they were there, negating the need to clear their throat or something to further alert him.

"Hey, sorry to disturb you but I forgot to mention something at dinner," Ed said as he and Al sat at the dining table. "Fuhrer Grumman asked me to pass the message along actually," he added, faux casual and was unsurprised when Scar seemed to relax slightly.

"It's alright," Scar said mildly as he turned to face them, abandoning his task for the moment. "What message does your Fuhrer have for me?"

"Actually, it's an invitation," Ed informed him, flapping a hand as he leant back slightly. "He'd like me to invite you to Central City so that you can join myself, Al, Mustang and the other key players of Promised Day in accepting an award during the memorial service being held on the 15th April," Ed told him and, for a moment, Scar had dropped his impassive mask and the surprise he felt shone obviously on his face. "You wouldn't need to leave when we do. You'd just need to make sure that you can get to Central by early morning on the 15th. Grumman has offered to have a driver from the military outpost in Resembool come and pick you up, if you require one," Ed continued speaking, wanting to get everything Grumman had asked him to pass on into the open before Scar could speak.

"You would only need to stay in Central for the ceremony, however I don't believe any of the trains will be running until the 16th so you might have to stay there for the night before coming back here," Ed said, a little unsure about the trains. He made a mental note to ask Mustang about that. "Of course, all of Ishval will be invited to attend the ceremony since we couldn't have won so easily without any of the help from those you recruited to fight alongside us but I think that's part of what Mustang will be discussing with the Ishvalen elders tomorrow. My job was to invite you since you're the only one Grumman wanted asked specifically," Ed finished telling him.

Scar stood there speechless for a few seconds, just staring at Ed and Al as he took in what Ed had said. "Your Fuhrer wishes to award me, even though I am responsible for the deaths of dozens of Amestrian soldiers and State Alchemists?" Scar asked, disbelief in his voice.

"You've been pardoned for those crimes," Ed reminded him. "Grumman and everyone else who makes those decisions understood why you went after and took out State Alchemists. You never tried to hurt or kill a civilian if you didn't have to, which went a long way in helping them make that decision _and,_ " Ed emphasised the word before Scar could cut him off, "your help in recruiting the Ishvalen warriors who placed the array points and your actual help in getting me and Mustang through those tunnels, defeating Wrath and activating your brother's array, giving alchemists like me the needed power boost to keep fighting were paramount to us winning Promised Day with as few casualties as we did," Ed told him. "Grumman wants to recognise _all_ of the key players and that includes you," Ed said firmly.

"Edward, I am honoured that your Fuhrer wishes to award me for my role on Promised Day but I cannot accept it in good conscious," Scar told him, a wave of grief washing over him. "My pardon does not clear me of my crimes; it only says that I cannot be charged for them. I am still guilty of murdering dozens of Amestrians, including your friend's parents and I cannot accept the award when the main reasons I helped on Promised Day was to ensure that what remained of my people didn't perish and that the true instigator of the war was destroyed." Though he was half-expecting Scar to bring up Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell in the conversation, Ed still twitched slightly at their names. He glanced up in time to see a dull but victorious flicker in Scar's eyes and knew in that moment that he and Al were right about why Scar was acting so reserved around them and that Scar had taken his twitch as confirmation that Ed truly hadn't forgiven him for their deaths like he had claimed.

"That's not entirely true," Al said, looking directly at Scar. "Mei told me during one of our healing sessions what you told her when she asked how you could put your life on the line to help the country who had all but destroyed your country, home and people just before we split up and sent her back to Xing with Envy's Stone," Al told him and Ed saw some muscles twitch minutely around Scar's jawline that told him he knew what Al was talking about. "She said that you would fight alongside us for the reasons you just said but also so you could try and make amends for the grief and pain you've caused the Amestrians who didn't deserve it, like Winry and Granny," Al said, voice growing a touch sadder.

Scar sighed. "Mei was right," he admitted, leaning slightly on the benchtop. "I had thought I wouldn't survive Promised Day and I had made my peace with that. I fought only as hard as I needed to in order to see that Bradley and Father – the two truly behind the war and death of so many Ishvalens – were ended. I had no intentions on living past those points until General Armstrong and Major Miles gave me medical attention and a new goal for my life. I thought my death being the result of my efforts to help save Amestris and what remained of Ishval would be enough to earn the forgiveness of those who I had hurt terribly but…" Scar trailed off at that point.

"But you didn't die," Ed finished quietly for him and Scar nodded with a defeated sigh. "You have been forgiven, Scar," Ed told him gently. "News of your pardon wasn't kept quiet but there were no riots on our streets or calls for your blood after Grumman gave a press conference announcing the reasons behind it." Ed saw Scar twitch slightly but the Ishvalen didn't meet his eyes yet. "There have been no rumours of someone's grieving loved one trying to hunt you down and get their revenge. There's been nothing but support or neutrality in regard to your pardon," Ed said. "Even if you don't accept Grumman's offer to come to Central, he will still honour you during the memorial. Your name will be said alongside ours and the others who risked or gave their lives to see Father defeated."

Sharing a glance with Al, Ed wondered if perhaps they should leave the discussion of Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell for later to give Scar the time to absorb what he'd just told him. However, he could tell that Al agreed that 'later' might not come around for them and that it would be best to get everything in the open tonight so it wouldn't be still hanging over their heads in the morning. Taking a steadying breath, Ed decided to finish what he'd started. "Winry, Granny, Al and I have all forgiven you for what you did as well, Scar," Ed told him and this time, Scar flinched before looking up and meeting Ed's steady gaze. "Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell were wonderful, genuine people who strove to provide medical care to everyone, no matter who that person was and there isn't a day that goes by that the four of us don't miss them, Winry and Granny especially," Ed said.

"Learning that they were killed during the war hurt but we moved on, taking solace in knowing that they died trying to help others. Learning that they died at your hands, I won't lie, that almost tore us apart. Losing them on the battlefield because a stray projectile or attack was one thing but to learn that they were murdered trying to help you was – well, 'hard' doesn't begin to describe it." Scar's face crumpled slightly as Al took over speaking for Ed. "I'll admit, it was hard spending that time with you after Baschool at first. Winry was torn between wanting to scream herself hoarse at you and ignoring your existence and it was hard trying to help her through her grief when I was hurting as well," Al admitted.

"But you respected her wishes to be as far away from you as possible and you didn't speak to either of us unless you had to. You were willing to give us the room needed to work out our feelings," Al went on saying. "It took Winry a long time but she has forgiven you as well. Both she and Granny have. Both of them were so angry at first but they came to the realisation that they could either cling to that anger and live life like that or they could let go and move on, just as they had done when they thought Uncle Yuriy and Aunt Sarah's deaths were just collateral damage from the war. They chose to forgive you and move on and so have we," Al said gently but firmly, leaving no room for Scar to think he wasn't being genuine.

"We know you acted out of a place of confusion and grief when you killed them," Ed said after a couple of moments, "and I think that's what has helped the most," Ed admitted. Scar looked up with confusion. "You didn't murder them intentionally and we all know how much you regretted your actions from the letter you sent me. I gave it to both Granny and Winry to read so that they could hear your apology in you words," Ed told him, wincing a little regretfully. He never mentioned that in his responding letter so he hoped Scar wouldn't mind that he had shown other people what he'd said. "You won't find a friend in either of them any time in the future," Ed informed him.

"But Ed and I were serious when we offered to wipe the slate between the three of us," Al piped up. "We won't ever forget what you took from us but we are able to see that of all the lives you've taken, you regret taking theirs the most," Al said solemnly. Ed wasn't sure whether Scar meant to make the small nod he did. Exchanging a look with each, both boys stood silently from their chairs.

"We know that there's tension between you, General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye regarding their actions during the war but that's for the three of you to work out. We just wanted to make sure you knew that Al and I were being honest," Ed said as he stood. "You _are_ completely forgiven on our part. For your role in Winry's parents deaths and for attacking the both of us with the intent to kill. Elrics don't hold onto any part of a grudge if we decide to forgive someone. Either we forgive completely or not at all," Ed informed the Ishvalen, a slight smirk on his face as he remembered telling Widdon and Combes something similar about Elrics and their grudge-holding abilities. He wiped it off before Scar could see though.

"And we've forgiven you," Al said firmly and finally, much to the boys' relief, they could see Scar's shoulders relax as he took in and started believing their words. Neither boy was foolish enough to believe that words alone – no matter how genuine and heartfelt they were – would be enough for Scar to believe them completely but they silently resolved to show the Ishvalen they meant what they said during their stay here.

"We'll see you in the morning, Scar. You don't have to decide what you want to do about Grumman's offer tonight either. Just let us know the answer before we leave," Ed said, not wanting the night's talk to really end on such an intensely heavy note.

"Good night, Scar," Al said as he joined Ed in moving back towards their borrowed room.

"Good night, Edward and Alphonse," Scar said, barely loud enough for them to hear him and they noted his voice was thick and slightly shaky. Both of them wondered if they were meant to hear the quiet 'thank you' that followed but neither one decided to question Scar about it as they headed to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who left kudos and comments on the last chapter and the story so far!! I really, really appreciate every single one of them <3 I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all next week!


	5. Chapter 5

"Edward Elric, if you don't get your arse up this minute, I'm gonna make you regret it." Ed's eyes stayed shut but he groaned in response to the irate voice.

"If you keep your shit up, Alphonse, I'm gonna alchemise you to the wall," Ed grumbled threateningly as he forced his tired eyes open only to shut them immediately as the surprisingly bright sunlight pierced his eyes. For a few moments, he was severely confused. His internal clock – something that was exceedingly accurate (showing up late for meetings with Mustang was just too much fun for Ed to stop doing) – told him it was around seven in the morning but the brightness of the sunlight invading his room rivalled the late-morning sun.

" _You're in Ishval, cub. You told us that was to the far east. Wouldn't that mean it's brighter earlier there for you since your sun rises in the east?"_ Blue's soothing voice said in his mind, triggering his memories of the previous day and making him remember he wasn't in his and Al's room at Gracia's.

"Then get your arse out of bed, Brother. We've gotta meet up with General Mustang and the others soon," Al reminded him, making Ed groan more theatrically than before at the thought of having to put up with Mustang for a whole day _and_ having to behave himself in front of the Ishvalen elders. The sound of the five Lions chuckling in his mind at his antics had him scowling at them before his expression morphed into realisation.

"Hey, you guys never got back to me before Al and I crashed last night. What's going on with this Lotor guy?" Ed asked. From the confused noise his younger brother made, he did so out loud but Ed flapped a hand at him, indicating he'd explain later.

" _Right, I think we were interrupted after you'd asked about how Lotor survived being alive for 10,000 if he didn't share his parents powers and hadn't been in a cryotube, yes?"_ Green asked and Ed nodded in confirmation as he found a clean change of clothing to change into for the day. Leather pants hadn't been recommended for a trip into the eastern desert but Ed had ignored that recommendation since he couldn't wear anything lighter because of his automail leg. _"Allura and Coran's research indicates that while Honerva was pregnant, Zarkon had made the decision to take his wife, their unborn child and himself into a quintessence field in order to save Honerva's life."_ Ed knew Green had more to say but he had to stop her there.

"I'm sorry, a what?" Ed asked, rightly confused. He knew quintessence was what everyone on the Castle-Ship called life and alchemic energy but he didn't understand what Green meant by a 'field' of the stuff.

" _Honerva had been invited to research a mysterious comet that had crashed onto Daibazaal, which was how she had met Zarkon originally. The two had grown closer while Honerva studied the comet and eventually they married. Despite being empress of a whole race, Honerva kept researching the comet and the power it held, convinced it would help better their worlds and she soon made the discovery that the crater that was made was actually a rift to another reality,"_ Black told Ed, a touch of regret to her voice. _"The drive to understand this mysterious power soon became an obsession that spiralled into Honerva's whole reason for living. The research took a toll on Honerva, turning her into a vicious shadow of her former self. She became obsessed with the power of immortality after she had experimented on her cat, extending its lifespan much longer than it ever should have lived. Both she and Zarkon tried to convince Alfor of their cause but he refused, making Zarkon turn his best friend away from them and their planet so Honerva could continue researching in peace."_ Ed could feel the other Lions share their sister's melancholy.

" _When Zarkon told Alfor of Honerva's pregnancy, Alfor had hoped it would be the thing that would have Honerva realise just how dangerous her work was and shut it down but it seemed to have the opposite effect,"_ Red told Ed. _"She became more obsessive and grew even sicker. Zarkon and Alfor were still best friends but there was a rift between them now. Even the news that Zarkon would be fathering a child hadn't brought them as close as they'd once been. Though hurt by Zarkon's dismissive attitude, Alfor never lost hope that his best friend would see the light in time to save his wife and unborn child. So when Zarkon called for him in a panic, telling him Honerva had snuck by him the previous night and entered the rift, Alfor and the other Paladins sprang to Zarkon's aid in a heartbeat."_

Ed was certain he knew what he was going to be told next but he allowed Yellow to pick up the story while he continued getting changed. _"We came to Zarkon's aid. He put on a good show, well enough that even Black didn't sense his treachery,"_ Yellow said and Ed felt a mixture of anger and betrayal from Black that he wasn't sure what to do about. Tentatively, he mentally reached out through their bond and covered her in a telepathic hug. She didn't shrug it off, so he counted it as a win. _"We entered the rift, keeping our senses primed for the monsters that lived inside it and for Honerva. However, Voltron was forced to disassemble when Zarkon broke Black away from formation and left her hull, exposing himself to the substance in the rift and the monsters that existed in there. We were being overpowered by the creatures and both our systems and our pilots were suffering the effects of being exposed for so long to so much raw quintessence. Alfor made the call to leave the rift without Zarkon and Honerva. Both Blue and I had to drag Black out of there,"_ Yellow told him, voice grief-filled as her memories of that time rose unbidden.

" _Alfor feared Zarkon dead and I couldn't feel him anymore,"_ Black revealed, voice a whisper. _"Because of the power of the rift and there being no one knowledgeable enough about it to close it for him, Alfor evacuated the Galran planet and ordered it to be destroyed in an attempt to close the rift forever. We thought it had worked and the next stage was to find the displaced Galrans a new planet to call their own,"_ Black said, her voice thick with emotion.

"But they weren't dead. We fought them," Ed said, even though he was certain one of the Lions was about to explain.

" _They didn't die in the rift,"_ Green told him. _"They survived and managed to exit it only to find Daibazaal in ruins. Zarkon didn't know Alfor had evacuated the planet. He assumed Alfor had destroyed it with everyone still on it. In revenge, Zarkon went after the Paladins, deeming them just as responsible for what had happened to Daibazaal as Alfor was. He found Blaytz first."_ Blue's grief at the mention of her original pilot was strong and Ed flinched at the memories of the decayed blood splattered everywhere inside her array compartment. He also felt Green's mental apology to Blue but the smaller Lion continued. _"After we found Blue and discovered what had happened, we knew Zarkon and Honerva had survived and were after us. Alfor had us spilt up while he tried using Black's connection with her pilot to find him but Zarkon found the remaining Paladins first. Realising he would be after Alfor himself, our creator sent us as far away as he could to locations he didn't think Zarkon would find, fearing that Zarkon would try to use Voltron as a weapon."_

" _He stole me and hid me on one of his ships when he discovered that Alfor had hidden Black away with a spell that meant she wouldn't reveal herself until the four of us were back together with pilots we chose,"_ Red told him, even though Ed had known that part. _"Once I was in his clutches, Zarkon destroyed Altea and moved on to trying to conquer the universe."_

Something sparked for Ed. "Did Allura know about all of that?" he asked. The Altean Princess hadn't mentioned anything of the sort when she spoke of her planet's destruction and why Zarkon turned on her father.

" _No, Allura was never told about what Zarkon had done before or after Daibazaal's decimation,"_ Blue informed him. _"Alfor never wanted her to remember Zarkon as he had become, only as the honourary uncle he had been to her. She did know the planet had been lost since Alfor had told her but not why. After Daibazaal was destroyed, it was a matter of quintets before everything else happened and Altea was in Zarkon's sight. When that happened, Alfor had no time to explain to her why Zarkon was attempting to destroy their home as he was too busy trying to save her and Coran. Until she and Coran decided to dig through the Galran files for any mention of Lotor, she had no idea and neither did Coran,"_ Blue told him.

Ed let out a low whistle as he pulled on his black jacket. His red trademark jacket would be left in the room since it would only cause him to overheat and he didn't want to be carrying it all day when it got too hot for him to wear it. All he did with it was grab his black gloves from the pocket and put them in the second pocket of his black jacket, just in case. "What a hell of an information load for the two of them. How are they dealing with that?" Ed asked and felt all the Lions huff out a breath.

" _Allura was in denial that her father would destroy Daibazaal until Coran told her rather firmly that her father would've destroyed Altea itself if it meant the destruction of something as evil and powerful as that rift,"_ Black told him and Ed winced. That probably wasn't a fun conversation.

"Ed, I don't know what you and the Lions are talking about but could you please hurry up? We need to get something to eat and we've only got a few minutes until General Mustang and the others expect us to join them." Al's demanding and exasperated voice broke through Ed's conversation with the Lions and Ed sighed.

"Sorry, guys, I keep forgetting I actually have shit to do today where people will notice if I'm not paying attention to them," Ed said apologetically, causing the Lions to laugh. "Pretty sure Al, Havoc and I plan on escaping from the diplomatic stuff as soon as possible to help with rebuilding efforts so we can talk while I work then, alright? I am sorry about this," Ed added, stressing his words a little so they knew he was being genuine.

" _We understand, young one,"_ Blue cooed slightly. _"I think Allura is planning on wormholing to the cluster of planets we mentioned so she can speak with the leaders in person rather than through video conversations like she has been so I think we'll be busy for the next few vargas ourselves. We'll finish bringing you up to speed when we're done, assuming you're able to talk to us without having people think you're daydreaming or crazy,"_ she said, an amused tone to her voice as she listed things he usually claimed speaking to the Lions would have people thinking.

"You're hilarious. A real riot," Ed said dryly, even as his own amusement flooded through their bonds while he pulled his boots on. "But seriously, I gotta go before Al drags me out there." Al didn't look impressed about being used as an excuse but he didn't deny it either. "You guys stay safe. Let me know when something major happens, no matter what you sense I'm doing," he ordered and felt them agree immediately.

" _You stay safe as well, young one,"_ Black said. _"I know Ishval hasn't had any major crimes since the land was given back to its people but I'm sure there are still some Ishvalens who wouldn't mind taking out some powerful Amestrians, even if you're supposed to be at peace with them,"_ she said worriedly. Ed would've rolled his eyes if it had been almost anyone else who'd cautioned him but he could feel how genuinely concerned Black and the other Lions were for not only him but Mustang, Alphonse and the others with them so he didn't brush off their concern as carelessly as he would've.

"We'll be fine. No one's gonna try and attack us while we're on a political mission like this and surrounded by the Ishvalen elders. They wouldn't risk hurting their own people just to take us out, even if someone wanted to," Ed informed them. "That being said, Scar probably wouldn't let anyone try and attack us and we all have pretty good instincts that tell us when someone's likely to become a threat to us so we will all be fine. You guys just worry about yourselves," Ed said.

" _We'll always worry about you, cub, and you can't stop us,"_ Black informed him sweetly.

" _You're a damned trouble magnet, Ed. Worse than Keith is, I swear, and we can't come help you when you get into a fight so of course we worry about you,"_ Red said, voice a touch gruff as she tried to cover up her softer side as much as she could. Ed and her sisters saw right through her mask and Ed smirked when the other four started cooing teasingly as her.

"Leave Red alone," Ed laughed at them and, thankfully for Red, they listened to him and backed off. The mischievous edge he could still feel told Ed that Red would likely find herself being teased again at a later time. "I'll talk to you guys later. Say 'hi' to everyone for me," Ed requested and they agreed, demanding he say hello to Alphonse for them before they distanced themselves once more. "The Lions say 'hi'," Ed dutifully passed on to Alphonse, who was now tapping his foot impatiently where he stood next to the closed door.

"Hello to them back," Al said before grabbing Ed's hand and pulling him through the now open door. "Let's get some breakfast while we still have a couple of minutes to eat," Al grumbled.

"And people say _I'm_ irritable when I'm hungry," Ed muttered as he shook free his hand so he could finish clasping the throat of his black jacket shut.

"You are a lot worse than I am and you know it," Al snapped venomlessly at him.

Ed rolled his eyes as he adjusted his white gloves just as they rounded the corner and came into the kitchen. Scar was already sitting at the table, breakfast half eaten and a slightly judgemental brow raised as he watched them enter the room. "Sorry, couldn't figure out where I left my gloves," Ed said, wiggling his gloved right hand as he and Al sat at the table.

Scar hadn't been told about Ed's inter-dimensional adventures or about the BAU's visit to Amestris since Ed had refused to risk his letters being intercepted by someone and read, revealing the secret he and Mustang had entrusted to only a select few. If he was being honest, Ed wasn't sure he wanted to tell Scar about the trips. Though he did trust the Ishvalen and would fight by his side in a heartbeat, he wasn't sure whether telling him about being tossed into another dimension three times, twice by the closest thing to a god most alchemists usually believed in, was a smart move. Even though he trusted Scar would never repeat what Ed and Mustang told him, he couldn't be sure that it would be too much for the Ishvalen and go too much against his beliefs for him to believe them and to not damage his and Ed's tentative friendship. Going against your religion to use alchemy to destroy your enemies was one thing but believing someone you were hellbent on killing the year previous when they told you that he and his boss was sent into another dimension, not once but three times, once of which was in actual outer space so they fight alongside giant mechanical space Lions and their pilots in order to defeat an alien overlord intent on universal domination was a whole other thing and Ed wasn't sure Scar would believe him, even though he had his tablet with him, just in case.

"How you managed to get one _under_ your bed will remain a mystery to me, Brother," Al said, a long-suffering sigh following his words as he dug into the bowlful of cold stew and slice of bread with a gusto that rivalled Ed's own. There were even two cups of still steaming coffee on the table for them and Ed almost cried in relief. He hadn't even realised until he spotted them that he'd been worried Ishval wouldn't have coffee.

"I'm just that talented," Ed deadpanned before digging into his own food while Scar watched on with faint amusement.

"The others should be here any minute," Scar reminded them. Once he received two nods, he went back to his own meal, eating with a bit less haste than the two blondes as they waited for the rest of their group to join them.

No one spoke while they ate but Ed thought he saw Scar glance over at them a couple of times, as though he wanted to say something but chose not to. Ed found himself a little grateful for that. He was not nearly as prepared to have any sort of talk regarding what had been said the previous night right now. It wasn't like he hadn't meant what he said – he absolutely meant every word – and he knew Alphonse did as well. It was just his belief that that sort of talk was always somehow so much easier at night and Ed was fully prepared to dodge Scar any time he tried to bring the subject up during daylight hours if he needed to. Thankfully, no one got the opportunity to say anything even once the dishes were cleaned of food and cups drained of coffee as there came several polite knocks on the door. Ed and Al immediately scooped up the dirty dishes and Scar headed for the door after receiving a pointed look from both brothers.

"Good morning, Scar." They could hear Miles' voice greet the other Ishvalen once the door had been opened. Deciding not to dawdle, both boys were quick at placing the dishes in a pile on the bench where they had seen Scar place the ones they'd used for dinner the night before. Once done with that, they headed for the front door just as Miles spoke again. "I trust everyone is ready to go? There are several things to get done today so we'd best be going."

"We're here," Ed said as he and Al joined Scar at the door. To his surprise, only Miles stood on the other side.

Miles immediately saw his confusion and gave him the answer to the question he hadn't yet asked. "Master Teman asked that I collect the three of you while he, General Mustang, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc wait for the other elders to join them for the meeting," Miles explained and Ed gave a small nod.

"Best not keep them waiting, I guess," he said and earned himself a nod from both Miles and Scar.

"Yes, that's probably for the best," Scar said, grabbing his shoes and slipping them on before gesturing for Ed and Al to exit the house. Once they were outside, Scar followed, firmly pulling the door shut to stop it from being blown open if a strong gust of wind blew through. "Let's go."

* * *

The walk to the meeting hall wasn't as long as Ed had thought it would be. Although Ishval was only a small civilisation, it was still big enough to have three large cities filled with people and nearly a dozen smaller villages surrounding them. Of course, that was before the Ishvalen War but still, with how big the rebuilt city they were currently in was, Ed had expected it to take far longer than the ten minutes it had to reach the rest of the group. The meeting place was in one of the few buildings that had been completely rebuilt, right down to its paint job. The two-storey tall building was littered with dozens of windows and was easily thirty times bigger than Scar's place, leaving Ed to wonder if this was perhaps a hotel or Ishval's version of their Command Centres, somewhere where the elders could meet for meetings and civilians worked to help protect their country and work on getting it to run smoothly once more.

During their walk, Scar and Miles brought Ed and Al up to speed with everything. The first thing they would be doing would be meeting with all of the elders. Including Scar, Teman and Miles (something the boys had been surprised about until Miles explained when he had accepted the offer to act as a liaison for Ishval and Amestris, he had been given the title of elder so the Ishvalen people would be less likely to dismiss him) there were 12 elders all together. When Ed asked why there were so many – since 12 seemed like a large number for such a small population – Miles informed him that there used to be three times that many before the war. The elders used to comprise of the village or city leaders as well as the person being trained to take over their position when they retired and the person who acted as somewhat of an opposing voice, ensuring that the village elder acted in the best interests of the village and not just themselves. Ed personally thought Amestris should take that page from the Ishvalen book, so to speak, and implement it over there.

As Miles explained, the 12 elders now comprised solely of the most qualified of those who remained from each village or city. Scar represented his home village while Teman represented Ishval's destroyed capital city. Since Miles was a liaison, he didn't represent a village or city but Amestris herself. The nine other elders represented the two smaller cities and seven remaining villages. Since every village and city had the same main goal – rebuilding themselves to their former glory – there was no need for the village to elect someone to act as their leader's opposition and none of the elders were in a position to pick their heir since the rebuilding efforts required all hands on deck for a few more months.

"The meeting room is just through here," Miles said, gesturing to the front door of the massive building. Judging from Scar's lack of reaction, this information was solely for Ed and Al's benefit.

Nodding, the boys followed the two men through the door and down a wide corridor before stopping at a set of large wooden doors. Miles rapped his knuckles sharply against it three times, an echo of what he did with Scar's front door, before he pushed them open and entered the room. Ed spotted Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc immediately – the blue of their military uniforms making sure everyone noticed them quickly – and he quickly counted another eight people in the room, including Teman and excluding the four of them. That meant they were still waiting for two more people to join them and Ed felt a small sliver of smugness at the fact that they weren't the last to arrive. Ed thought he saw a flash of relief cross Mustang's face when he noticed them entering the room but it was gone before he could be certain.

"I'm surprised to see you made it to this meeting on time, Fullmetal," Mustang drawled from where he stood with Hawkeye, Havoc and Teman. The rest of the Ishvalens in the room stood on the other side of Teman so the elderly man was in between them and the Amestrians. Ed couldn't see any open hostility; it was more like wariness on the Ishvalens parts.

"I always turn up to important meetings on time," Ed informed him, voice faux sweet but everyone could hear what he hadn't said, including Mustang if the scowl on his face was any indication.

"Be polite," Al hissed, loud enough for Ed and Scar to hear but not for Miles – who was approaching the yet unintroduced group of Ishvalens – or the others to hear.

"That _was_ me being polite and you know it," Ed hissed back, earning himself an annoyed huff from Al and an amused twitch of Scar's lips.

"I'm pleased to see the two of you looking so well-rested," Teman said pleasantly. "We're just waiting on two more to join us, which they should be at any moment," he told them, looking completely sure the missing two would do as he predicted.

Sure enough, the moment Ed, Al and Scar came to a stop near Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc – the latter of the three immediately moving to stand next to Ed and check everything was all good while Hawkeye raked her eyes over the three of them to make sure there were no injuries being hidden – the doors Scar had shut behind them opened and the two missing Ishvalens entered the room. As the two newcomers moved to join and greet the rest of the Ishvalens, Ed took in everyone.

Of the nine elders he didn't know, three were female. All of them had the typical dark skin, white hair and red eyes of the Ishvalen race, with the exception of one man and one woman, both of whom had thick black hair. All of them were dressed in the Ishvalen robes and to Ed's surprise, he saw a much wider variety of colour than he'd expected. The robes themselves were white while the undershirts everyone wore were either black, navy blue or white themselves. The sashes, however, were a numerous different colours and Ed wondered if it was because they had such freedom of choice that they went so colourful.

"Now that all of us are here, I believe the first order of business should be introductions," Teman said, effectively bringing any murmuring to a halt and all attention on him. "Brothers and Sisters, allow me to introduce Brigadier-General Roy Mustang, Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Elric – though he has requested you call him Ed, Edward or Fullmetal – Captain Riza Hawkeye, 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc and Alphonse Elric, Edward's younger brother," Teman said as he gestured to each of them in turn. Ed had barely covered his surprise at the fact that Teman had bothered to include his preference of titles.

The nine Ishvalens they still hadn't been introduced to nodded or in some other way acknowledged each of the Amestrians as their names were said. Seemingly satisfied with that, Teman turned to the Amestrians. "These are the rest of the Ishvalen elders," he told them. "A'dem." He gestured to a man with hard eyes, wearing a blue and yellow sash.

"Eiran." The sole male with black hair, who was wearing a forest green and royal purple sash nodded.

"Hiram," Teman said, pointing to a man who looked only a decade or so younger than himself, dressed in a bright yellow, orange and red sash.

"Adva." The first woman to be introduced gave them a small, quick smile, the first of the Ishvalens to do so. Her white hair was braided much more elaborately than Ed's and her sash was light blue and lavender.

"Melech." The youngest looking of the group – Miles excluded – gave a curt nod, jaw tensing slightly as he clenched it. Ed thought his colour choice for his sash – red and black – was the best of the group.

"Zahara," Teman introduced the next woman, who mimicked Melech's nod. Her white hair fell loose over her shoulders, covering the top part of her pink and white sash.

"Kayin." The biggest man in the room, equal to Scar, met their eyes before nodding once. He had hair as long as Ed's but it was tied into a low ponytail, similar to how Kimblee and Hohenheim had worn their hair. His sash was grey and red in colour.

"Sarai." Like Adva, Sarai gave them a smile but unlike Adva, this smile was warm and genuine. Also unlike Adva and Zahara, Sarai had black hair and it was cut so it fell to her shoulders but no longer, brushing the top of her black and purple sash.

"And this is Talmai," Teman said, introducing the last man. As with the other men – Miles and Kayin the only exceptions – Talmai had short white hair and the sash draped over his shoulder was brown and white. "You all, of course, know Scar and Miles by now." With that, Teman had finished all the introductions and was now waiting silently for the two groups to speak with one another without him acting as their mouthpiece.

"It's an honour to meet all of you," Mustang was the first to speak, "and I look forward to working alongside you all in order to mend the divide between our countries and help restore Ishval fully," he said, allowing himself to show a small amount of regret mixed in with open honesty.

Ed's golden eyes picked up on the slightly pinched expressions on some of the Ishvalens' faces – despite how quick most of them were to cover it up – and from the way her shoulders stiffened, he knew Hawkeye had spotted it. Most of the elders in this room either didn't believe Mustang about what he'd said or they – like Scar – couldn't quite rid themselves of the hostility they felt towards the Flame Alchemist.

"Likewise, Flame Alchemist," Kayin said after an awkward moment where no one else seemed to want to speak up.

Teman seemed pleased with the exchange, if the way his eyes twinkled told Ed anything. "Now, if I remember correctly from our discussion last night when I first met our Amestrian guests, the young Elrics have expressed interest in helping our people rebuild in any way they can. I assume the two of you are still interested?" Teman asked, looking at them pointedly.

Ed and Al shared a look and there was no way for the two of them – or most everyone else – to miss the slight shift in Havoc's stance. Both Mustang and Hawkeye glanced at Havoc with differing degrees of reprimand in their eyes. Ed raised his brow slightly and Al gave a small nod. With the decision made, Ed turned back to Teman. "We are," Ed confirmed. He noticed that a few of the other elders seemed to know what Teman was about to say and they didn't look awfully thrilled about it.

"I do not think there is any reason for the two of you to be involved in this meeting or the day's itinerary unless the two of you wish to be. I'm sure there are far more invigorating for young minds such as yourselves to be doing elsewhere and I've no doubts there are several of our people who will welcome a helping hand or four, not to mention a few of your alchemists," Teman said, a small but kind smile on his face. "That is, of course, if your commanding officer is alright with allowing you to help with the rebuilding efforts," Teman added, looking over at Mustang.

This time it was Mustang and Hawkeye who shared a significant look before Mustang glanced at the boys. There was one look on Ed's face and it was a dare to Mustang to deny him and Al the chance to escape this meeting before it began. For a moment, Ed thought Mustang was really going to be stupid enough to take that dare but – for the good of Mustang's future – the man turned out not to be that idiotic. The general looked back at Teman and nodded. "Fullmetal and his brother are not required for this meeting. So long as no one else had any objections, both of them have my permission to help with rebuilding," Mustang said, glancing at the other elders as he spoke but no one seemed to. "I would like 1st Lieutenant Havoc to accompany them, if that's also acceptable with everyone." Ed could almost see Havoc vibrating with hope that he might be able to escape the tediousness of the meeting before it could start.

"I believe that shouldn't be an issue," Teman said, causing Havoc to forget himself for a moment as he grinned before an elbow from Hawkeye a split second after she spotted it. There was some muttering amongst the other elders before one – Hiram, Ed thought – whispered something to Teman who then nodded. "A good point, Hiram," Teman said and Ed allowed himself a moment's victory at getting Hiram's name right before he wondered what the suggestion was. "The three of them will need a guide," Teman said, looking around at everyone.

"I believe I would be the best choice, Master Teman," Miles said after a moment. Ed thought he saw a flash of disappointment on Scar's face but it was gone before Ed could be sure. A look at Alphonse told him his little brother had seen something as well but was just as unsure as Ed. "With General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye both here, I believe they will be more than suitable to act as my temporary replacement as Amestris' liaison and I am sure they will bring me up to speed on any decisions made over the next three days, should I be required to spend the three days as their guide," Miles explained, face impassive.

Teman didn't look surprised by Miles speaking up nor was he surprised about why Miles had offered to act as Ed, Al and Havoc's guide. "Thank you, Miles," Teman said with a bow towards the other man. Miles inclined his head in turn and Teman turned to Ed and Al. "I don't believe there's anything more that needs to be discussed and anything that comes up later can be discussed at dinner tonight. The four of you may leave now if you wish," Teman said.

"Thank you, Teman." Both Ed and Al bowed deeply to the Ishvalen elder.

"We'll see you tonight, Master Teman," Miles said, inclining his head once more to the older Ishvalen. Teman nodded in acknowledgement and Miles turned to the other elders in the room. "My apologies for not being able to join you for this meeting or for the rest of today's schedule, Brothers and Sisters. I hope we may be able to share in a meal together while everyone is here," Miles said.

"I'm sure our duties will not keep us so busy, Brother Miles, that we are unable to sit down and share a meal with you," Adva said with a smile larger than the one she'd given during her introduction.

Miles gave her a nod and Ed saw his lips twitch upwards slightly before he turned to Ed, Al and Havoc. "We best be going. I believe I know of a family who would appreciate your help in finishing up their home," Miles told them and all three nodded immediately.

"Right," Ed said. "See ya, Mustang. Bye, Captain Hawkeye," Ed said, giving Hawkeye a grin and wave, the latter of which she returned.

"Keep yourselves out of trouble, boys," she said quietly enough for them to hear but for the Ishvalens to only hear the odd word.

"We will," Al said as Havoc saluted Mustang, who dismissed the salute with a careless wave of his hand.

Mustang simply gave both boys a nod, one that told them the same thing Hawkeye had said but there was a look in his eyes, telling them to both stay safe and Ed rolled his eyes in a way that told the older alchemist he thought his worrying was excessive and pointless. Mustang expression drifted into a deadpan that told Ed he wasn't amused and the blonde had to fight back the urge to grin. Thankfully, Al had unwittingly stopped him before he could by grabbing Ed's arm lightly as Miles and Havoc led the way out the room. Ed followed willingly, already keen to put himself to work – be it alchemically or the more traditional way – and create something that wouldn't be used to catch some idiot criminal, something he hadn't been able to do for far longer than he liked. Before they left through the doors, Ed glanced back to Mustang and gave him a reassuring smile before he disappeared from view.

* * *

Mustang watched as the four left the room, willing to admit only to himself that he was worried about them being in Ishval with only Miles and Havoc for protection. Ed's glance back and reassuring smile only did so much to assuage his worry. With Scar, he had a reason anyone would believe if they'd noticed his worry last night. The boys' history with the redeemed serial killer was well known. The fact that Scar's hand had been the one to take the lives of Winry Rockbell's parents wasn't as well known but Mustang himself knew about it, having been told by Al during the early stages of his recovery when the youngest Elric brother had brought up Scar's first letter, believing Mustang already knew about it. Of course he hadn't and it had taken him by surprise that Scar had written to Ed at all. Somehow though, finding out in the middle of NCIS Director Vance's office that Ed was still in contact with Scar and they were slowly becoming friends was more surprising than learning Scar had apologised.

"I suggest we start this meeting, if there is nothing further to be discussed beforehand," Teman said, leaning on his walking stick slightly.

"I apologise, Master Teman," one of the Ishvalens said – the same one who had given Teman the whispered idea about a guide for Ed, Al and Havoc, if Mustang recalled rightly – before the older Ishvalen could say anything, causing him to raise a brow, "but I feel as though there is one important subject that needs to be addressed first," he – Hiram, Mustang suddenly recalled his name – said.

From the look in Teman's eyes, the elder already knew what he was about to ask but he inclined his head. "Very well, Hiram. What would you like to address?"

"We've all heard the rumours of the Flame Alchemist being arrested for a series of murders in Central, as well as the attempted murder of one of his well-known rivals, General Armstrong," Hiram said. Mustang almost asked how General Armstrong had garnered their respect enough for her name to have not been bitten off like a curse before he realised it was probably a combination of her not being a State Alchemist and Major Miles being her direct subordinate and the man's unwillingness to hear an unfounded bad word about the general. "From the rumours we heard, the case was closed and that General Mustang" – there was a moment's pause before Hiram called Mustang by his rank – "was undoubtedly guilty of those crimes. I wish to know how he managed to escape a guilty sentence," Hiram said bluntly. The only way the man's suspicion and contempt for Mustang would've been more obvious was if he had come right out and said he didn't trust the Flame Alchemist further than he could throw him.

Mustang felt Hawkeye's barely held back glare from where she stood behind him. Teman looked mildly apologetic but the man didn't reprimand his countryman for his blunt demand and Mustang realised the Ishvalen wanted to know the answer himself. Most the other Ishvalen elders – Scar not included since he already knew all the details thanks to Ed's letters – looked intrigued or as though the answer he gave would help confirm or destroy their opinion of him. Only one, Kayin, who had a long ponytail and wore the red and grey sash, looked as though he expected Mustang to confirm what the flame alchemist suspected they were expecting him to say; that he used his rank, position and ties in the military to escape the firing squad.

"My subordinates conducted their own investigation the day after I had been falsely arrested for the crimes in question," Mustang answered, voice level and gaze fixed on either Hiram or Kayin as he spoke. "Fullmetal assumed command on my team and led the investigation himself. Alongside the original investigator, Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes, Fullmetal worked tirelessly to find proof I had been framed. He was joined by six foreigners the two of us had met on previous, highly classified missions for Fuhrer Grumman, who were specialists in their field; analysing crimes and building a psychological profile of the killer in order to aid officers in identifying and capturing the criminal. Together, they uncovered not only enough evidence to prove I was being framed for the crimes but the identity of the real serial killer and her motivations. Upon the discovery of meticulously detailed records of her plans and deeds that proved she acted alone, I was released," Mustang informed them. Not once during the statement did his voice waver from anything other than professionally calm.

Neither Kayin nor Harim looked completely convinced he was speaking the truth but Mustang had learned long ago that trying to stress that you were being truthful only made you look guiltier in the eyes of those who already believed you were so he didn't say anything. Teman, upon noticing that Kayin and Harim weren't likely to say anything, took the opportunity to do so. "Thank you for clearing up the rumours for us, General Mustang," Teman said politely and Mustang nodded.

"Of course. Please don't hesitate to ask me for information or clarification on anything else in the future. Unless I have orders from Fuhrer Grumman dictating I cannot, I will answer everything truthfully," Mustang told him and Teman gave him a small smile.

"I'm sure most of us will take you up on that in the next few days so I appreciate your willingness to be completely candid," Teman said honestly before taking in the group as a whole. "Now, if there is nothing else, shall we start this meeting? I believe we are already behind schedule but I'm sure we can make up the time," Teman stated. He waited a few moments but – much to Mustang's internal relief – there was nothing forthcoming from the gathered Ishvalen elders. "In that case, shall we take a seat?" Teman gestured to the table and chairs with the hand that wasn't gripping his walking stick.

As one, the thirteen people in the room moved towards the table and assumed their seats. Both Mustang and Hawkeye were shown where they could sit but Hawkeye chose to stand behind Mustang's right side. She was polite in her refusal of the offered seat next to Mustang, stating that protocol required her to stand behind her commanding officer. Several Ishvalens looked mildly angered by this but their anger was replaced by chastisement when Teman casually but pointedly said that it wasn't their place to decide the protocol or traditions of another country and her people. Once everyone else was seated, the chair to Mustang's right that Hawkeye had been offered being left empty, the meeting was finally started and Mustang allowed the familiarity of being part of a meeting with higher-ups to wash over him as he listened to Teman speak.

* * *

By the end of the day, Mustang was almost glad to find himself walking between Hawkeye and Teman, following Scar as he led them up the small dirt path to his front door. It had been a long and physically demanding day and Mustang found himself hoping that Ed had managed to exhaust himself more than Mustang had so he wouldn't be subject to the blonde's teasing remarks about his age since Mustang just knew his face betrayed his desire to collapse into bed. To his surprise though, neither Elric was anywhere to be seen and nor were their two guards. Mustang even glared suspiciously through the open door the led to the bedrooms but nothing.

"They'll likely be here in a few minutes," Teman said softly, startling Mustang slightly as the man hadn't expected that someone would figure out what he was doing. "Miles would assume that we wouldn't be here until closer to night and he wouldn't enter Scar's home while he isn't here," he explained and Mustang nodded in thanks.

The Flame Alchemist could feel Hawkeye's gaze on him but he refused to acknowledge it, just as he'd done so numerous times during the day when his gaze wondered from the group he was being escorted by. It wasn't his fault that Ed had an uncanny ability to find trouble everywhere and that he was automatically keeping an eye out for a flash of gold every time they moved from one area to another. None of the Ishvalens had seemed to notice his momentary distractions, even the ones that had lasted slightly longer on the rare occasion he spotted Edward and Alphonse working together a few buildings away. He'd managed to spot Havoc only after realising the smoker had shed his blue military jacket and dress shirt in order to combat the heat and avoid ruining them with the manual labour he was helping with. The checks only lasted a couple of seconds before Mustang forced himself to pay attention to whomever was speaking at the time.

Now here he was, watching Scar organise dinner for the group once more while they waited for the missing four members to join them once more. Hawkeye and Teman were speaking with one another in soft voices, Hawkeye asking for some additional information on a few of the things they'd seen or spoken about that day so she could ensure a detailed report would be given to Grumman when they returned home. Mustang watched Scar for a moment, taking the chance to observe the man while he was relaxed in his own home rather than the forced relaxed he'd been during the day. Somehow, it was still difficult for Mustang to merge the image of the Scar in front of him – the one carefully slicing up meat and vegetables for their dinner – with the anger-soaked Scar who had come within inches of ending Ed's life in East City and again with the image of the Scar who had stood beside Edward in the tunnel where Envy had been destroyed on Promised Day.

The sound of someone knocking on the door and Scar calling for them to come in broke Mustang out of his thoughts and he watched as his youngest subordinate walked inside, grinning at something Havoc had said or done while Al shook his head fondly. Miles brought up the rear, looking just as dusty as the other three and Mustang figured he had allowed himself to be caught up in the rebuilding efforts as well. Ed glanced their way and Mustang wished he could've been surprised to see a trickle of blood running slowly down the left side of Ed's face.

"What trouble did you get yourself into this time, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, voice ending with a sigh.

"What are you on about, Mustang?" Ed asked, looking genuinely confused and offended at the question. Mustang placed his hand on the left side of his own face and watched as Ed mimicked him, still confused until he pulled away his white glove and found the fingertip stained red. Immediately placing his hand back up on the small cut, Ed shrugged. "Must've happened on that last house when someone dropped their sledgehammer on some rock debris. Probably sent some shards flying. I didn't even notice," Ed told him with a shrug and Mustang believed him. Of all the injuries Ed had suffered over the year, Mustang doubted the insignificant pain of a tiny cut would even register to him now.

"Let me see," Al demanded, pulling Ed's hand away from his head so he could look. Ed rolled his eyes as Al then pushed Ed's bangs aside so he could scrutinise the injury. "I didn't even notice it," Al murmured and Mustang knew he hadn't imagined the disappointed tone in Al's voice when Ed tsked at him.

" _I'm_ the one who got the injury and I didn't notice it, Al. I don't think anyone's going to blame you for not realising I got a tiny cut either," Ed informed him. "Seriously?" Ed whined when Havoc peered over Al's shoulder to check it himself.

"I'll think you'll live, Chief," Havoc said seriously before his face broke out into a grin that had Al chuckling at him.

"Now that we've all ascertained that I'm not gonna bleed out from a tiny cut, get out of my space," Ed demanded, pushing Al's hand lightly away from his face as he raised his other hand to swipe the blood off his forehead. He headed for the table before either of them could say anything, plonking himself gracefully in the chair next to Hawkeye. "How'd you survive dealing with Mustang all day, Miss Riza?" Ed asked, causing Mustang to scowl at him.

"The same as I always do, Edward," Hawkeye told him, eyes twinkling in amusement when Mustang's scowl morphed into an offended expression. "What did the four of you get up to today?" Hawkeye asked, looking at Havoc and Al as they joined the table while Miles checked to see if Scar required any help.

"We helped a few families finish building their homes so now they can live in them completely," Al told her. "A surprising number of people were alright with us using our alchemy to help with things like erecting a wall or the roof so long as we didn't use it for anything else," he told them, automatically looking over when he saw someone approaching the table before realising it was just Miles.

"Yes, having Scar still accepted as an Ishvalen despite his public and blatant use of alchemy has gone a long way in convincing our people that alchemy might not be the insult to Ishvala we once thought it was," Teman said, injecting himself into the conversation. "We still believe in using our hands and ingenuity to get most everything else done but being able to construct a whole house in a matter of moments? That has helped us rebuild faster than we'd hoped and we can't deny that in the right hands, alchemy is a gift," Teman told them.

"Because of that, we managed to help seven families finish building their home and painting it for them," Ed said and only now did Mustang see the few white or light blue specks of paint speckling their clothing. "What about you guys? What did you end up doing after we left?" Ed asked, glancing over when Scar sat down on Al's other side.

"After the meeting where we discussed what each village needed more supplies of and when they needed them by, we were shown their markets where we spoke with a few stall owners about whether a future of trading with Amestris was possible or not," Mustang told them, trying to recall what they'd done in what order. "After that, we were shown the Temple of Ishvala, though we weren't actually allowed to go in since Captain Hawkeye and I are not parishioners. Once we saw the temple, it was merely a tour of the city so we could see where work still needed to be done and just how much work had already been accomplished," Mustang said. "We also met with survivors and the alchemists Fuhrer Grumman had sent over to help with the rebuilding efforts in order to see whether there was anything more Amestris could be doing for them," he finished up and Ed nodded.

"Doesn't sound like you missed your paperwork to much today than," Ed said with a shit-eating grin that Mustang wanted to smack off his face, like he did every time he saw it.

"I'm sure General Mustang will be enthusiastic about catching up on his paperwork once we're back in Central," Hawkeye said evenly. Mustang gave a very unconvincing nod at her words.

A sizzling noise caught Scar's attention and he excused himself to check on their dinner. Once again, Miles offered to help but this time, Scar accepted since dinner was just about ready and he would need help carrying the dishes. Mustang glanced at Ed while the two were talking and tapped the side of his head once more, though this time he was asking about the Lions. Ed nodded before tapping Al on the shoulder and glancing at Teman pointedly. Getting the message, Al moved two seats down to engage the Ishvalen elder in conversation so Ed and Mustang could talk.

"Have you heard from them since last night?" Mustang asked, whispering barely loud enough for Ed to hear.

"Yeah, this morning," Ed told him, speaking just as quietly. "I still don't have the full picture of what's going on with them but it turns out Haggar and Zarkon had a kid," Ed revealed and Mustang was sure his jaw dropped. "Well, technically it was Honerva who fell pregnant but the point is that Allura got word of their son, Lotor, being in another galaxy and causing some sort of trouble. She's worried about whatever he is doing and wants to speak to the planets who reported him in person. That was all I got from them before we had to cut our conversation short again," Ed told him.

"Do you think Lotor will be a problem?" Mustang asked and Ed shrugged.

"The Lions didn't feel completely concerned about him being a problem but I'm not sure they've been given the full scope of everything yet," Ed admitted. "I haven't spoken to them today except to check in that everything was still good. I can feel them, though it is faint since they didn't want to be distracting me today since I was supposed to spend the whole day with you two and doing diplomatic things," Ed explained and Mustang snorted softly.

"You don't have a diplomatic bone in your body," Mustang teased with a smirk that had Ed flipping him off. Mustang's teasing mood disappeared almost immediately when he saw the faint worry in Ed's eyes. "You'll let me know if they report back with anything?" he asked and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, soon as I'm able," Ed promised and Mustang knew it was as good as he'd get considering they would soon be in different houses and he couldn't reasonably expect Ed to traverse to Miles' home where he was staying in the dead of night just to update him.

"They'll be fine, Fullmetal. You know that," Mustang said, trying to reassure the blonde alchemist and was relieved when it worked somewhat.

"Yeah, not much can take them down," Ed said with a small grin that Mustang matched. Before either of them could say anything more on the subject, Scar and Miles started handing out plates of barbequed meat and vegetables. "Thanks, Scar," Ed said when the Ishvalen placed a plate in front of him. Ed noted that his and Al's were piled a little higher than the other's and realised Scar was trying to help them replenish the alchemic as well as physical energy they'd expended that day.

"You're welcome, Edward," Scar said as he placed a plate in front of Hawkeye, who offered her own thanks and received some in return before Scar moved to grab more servings of dinner.

Ed was polite enough to wait for everyone to have a plate of food in front of them and had all started eating their own dinner before he dug happily into his. The meat was cooked beautifully but Ed couldn't identify what animal is used to be, though he was leaning towards beef for some reason. He didn't participate an awful lot in the conversation until he was almost all the way through his meal, too busy eating to want to speak. The conversation was light and casual, merely one group of people asking for more details about what the other group had done during the day. Ed was a little amused that is more Havoc or Miles answering questions meant for him and Al since they were both too busy eating to answer.

* * *

Once everyone had finished, Ed and Al offered to collect the dirty dishes rather than let Scar do it since he had cooked. As they collected the plates, Ed started feeling some slight pressure building up just behind his eyes and he frowned as he tried to figure out what was causing it. Shaking it off, he finished grabbing his share of plates and followed Al into the small kitchen to place them on the same bench where the dirty dishes from breakfast had once sat. The pressure behind Ed's eyes suddenly flared painfully, causing him to scrunch his eyes shut tightly, and he couldn't quite bite down on the pained gasp he emitted before someone heard it.

"Ed? Are you alright?" Al asked, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder as the older blonde struggled against the intensity of the pain. He barely noticed the dull murmur of conversation at the dinner table quiet immediately as he gritted his teeth against a new wave of pain.

"What the hell is going on?" Ed mentally asked the Lions, having figured that there was no other explanation for the sudden onset of pain.

" _We're sorry, Ed!"_ Blue cried and Ed's heart dropped when he heard her pained voice.

" _We located Lotor,"_ Black ground out as she fought against her own pain. _"Or I think it's more accurate to say_ he _found_ us _,"_ she told him. Ed's head throbbed once more just as Al's grip tightened almost to the point of bruising.

" _He's using a weapon made from trans-reality stone, the same thing the comet Honerva was studying on Daibazaal was made from,"_ Green gasped out and Ed could feel a hand on his forehead as though someone was checking for a temperature. He wanted to bat the hand away but the pain behind his eyes throbbed sickeningly once more and he forgot all about the hand.

" _Whatever it's doing, it's affecting the bonds we hold with our pilots and you. You're getting it worse because you're attached to all five of us,"_ Black explained. _"We tried blocking our bond with you so you wouldn't feel it but we were too late. I'm so sorry, Ed,"_ Black said, sounding a horrible mixture of mournful and pained.

"Don't worry about me," Ed managed to ground out, barely remembering to keep his words internal. "Make sure that bastard doesn't win this fight. Take him down," Ed ordered, biting back another groan of pain as a fresh wave rolled through him.

" _Hang in there, Ed. We're planning on ending this as quickly as we can. Don't worry,"_ Blue promised, voice stricken with the amount of pain she was in.

"I will. Get back to the fight and don't worry about me," Ed ordered once more and this time, he felt the five of them listen to him as their attention pulled away from him and onto something he couldn't see.

"Ed!" Al's voice called him urgently and Ed opened his eyes just enough to see Al's grief-stricken face and Havoc's equally worried one in front of him. "What's happening?" Al asked.

"Migraine," Ed ground out the first plausible excuse he could think of as he brought one of his hands up to tap his temple twice, indicting what he truly meant.

"It's probably from the heat, Chief. You obviously didn't drink enough water to combat it today and your automail wouldn't have helped," Havoc babbled slightly as he checked Ed's eyes. Despite knowing there wasn't anything physically wrong with him, Havoc still made sure to put up a front like there was for the benefit of the Ishvalens sitting at the table. "You need to go lay down somewhere dark and cool for a while. Try and get some water into your system as well," Havoc ordered.

"I'll take him to our room. It should be cool enough in there and I'll make sure he drinks something," Al said, keeping up the façade Ed and Havoc had started.

"I'll get him some water," Havoc said immediately before gesturing to Mustang, who Ed hadn't even realised was standing nearby.

Mustang was by their sides in a moment. "Al, why don't you go and make sure your window is shut? I'll help Fullmetal to your room," he suggested. His concern for Ed was as genuine as everyone else's and he was going to make his damned surest the teenager was definitely alright before he allowed Hawkeye and Havoc to convince him to leave Ed alone to rest.

"Thanks, General," Al said before leaving Ed in Mustang's hands while Havoc went and spoke with Scar about where the drinking water was.

"Come on, Fullmetal," Mustang said as he gripped Ed by the left upper arm and gently pulled him forward, thankful that Ed was capable of walking by himself and didn't argue.

The amount of pain Ed had to be in must've been massive if the fact that Mustang could see it etched all over his face was any indication. There were very few people more capable than Ed was of hiding his pain completely. Mustang gave Hawkeye a nod that had her falling into step behind him, one hand pressed gently in between Ed's shoulder blades as her way of telling him she was there and trying to comfort him without being obvious about it. The fact that Ed wasn't pulling away from either of them had both of them worried as they escorted him into his and Al's borrowed room.

"Ed, what's happening?" Mustang asked the moment Havoc had shut the door behind them, cup of cool water in his hand.

"It's the Lions," Ed told them, eyes still shut as he fought against the pain that still thrummed horribly behind his eyes, blindingly trusting there wasn't anyone who wasn't supposed to be in the room with them.

"What's happening with the Lions?" Hawkeye asked, voice soothing and gentle as she placed a cool hand against Ed's head, making the blonde unconsciously lean into it.

"Lotor found them. I don't know how," Ed said, forcing himself to stop as a new wave of pain hit him. "He's using some weapon powered by something called 'trans-reality'. It's whatever Honerva had been researching and had turned her into Haggar," he told them, repeating what the Lions had managed to tell him. "Whatever it is, it's not just affecting the Lions but those who are bonded to them. The Paladins are getting hit too but lucky me is bonded to all five of the Lions," Ed said with sardonic chuckle that turned into a groan when another attack on the Lions must've landed.

"Can't they mute their bond with you again?" Al asked but Ed shook his head.

"They had no forewarning about what this weapon would do to them, me or the Paladins. By the time they realised, it was too late. Until they can take down Lotor, they're gonna keep getting hit and the pilot belonging to whichever Lion is hit is gonna share this pain," Ed told him and Al growled in frustration.

"Can we do anything to help?" Hawkeye asked. No one had commented or pointed out that she still had her hand on the side of Ed's head or that he was still leaning into the touch.

Ed shook his head. "No," he told her. "I imagine that once the attacks stop the pain will as well," Ed told her. As though the universe wanted to show him it wasn't always out to get him all the time, the pain he was feeling vanished so suddenly that he flinched from the lack of it. "It's gone," Ed said, voice relieved and confused. He could still feel the Lions fighting against something, their determination to win and get a little vengeance for the pain inflicted on both Ed and their pilots flooded through their bond with him but there was no more pain.

"What do you mean?" Mustang asked, sharing a confused look with Hawkeye as she dropped her hand back down to her side.

"I mean it's gone, Mustang. Like it never happened in the first place. But I can still feel the Lions fighting against this Lotor jerk," Ed told him, a touch snappishly.

"Maybe they've gotten good at predicting his movements so they're dodging him now?" Al suggested and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know. All I can go off of is –" Ed suddenly cut himself off as his eyes widened slightly. "What's happening?" Ed demanded but his eyes weren't focused on them, a clear sign he was talking to the Lions and had forgotten to keep it internal.

"Ed?" Havoc asked cautiously as Ed let out a horrified gasp.

"Lotor's device. Whatever he's using to power his ship and weapons, he's using it to try and open up a new portal to a world filled with nothing but quintessence so he can drain it. If he succeeds in doing that…" Ed trailed off, leaving them to fill in the blanks for themselves. "Allura's ordered the Lions to try and slow him down. She's gonna try and use an array to stop him from the Castle-Ship," Ed reported back as he continued listening to whichever Lion was passing along information.

"Can she do it?" Mustang asked. Last he heard, the Altean Princess was still struggling to control her alchemy powers enough to perform simple transmutations, though Red was proving to be a very capable teacher, using her memories of Alfor performing or speaking about alchemy to help her.

"We'll find out," Ed said grimly. Allura knew to let go of an array if it was going to be too powerful full her. He trusted that she would if this idea didn't succeed. "She's activating the array now." Everyone waited with bated breath as Ed focused intently on the Lions and what they were saying or feeling. Suddenly, Ed gasped slightly as his eyes widened. "The array didn't stop the device. It just shifted its target. It's not opening a rift into the quintessence world but it is still opening a rift and Allura can't stop it. She doesn't know where it's going," Ed told them. "Voltron's been ordered to retreat," Ed said and Mustang released a small breath of relief. At least the Lions wouldn't be in danger and Ed wouldn't be worried about them.

"They're caught up in it!" Ed cried suddenly, panic blaringly obvious on his face as he was forced to watch as a helpless bystander as his friends were in unknown amounts of danger. "The pull from the rift; it's too strong! It's pulling them and Lotor's ship into it!" Ed's face was pale with worry and Al pulled him into a hug before any of them could react, trying to comfort his big brother as best he could.

"Ed?" Mustang asked after a moment of letting Al do what he could. "What's going on now?"

Ed didn't answer immediately. Mustang was about to ask again when he realised that Ed was trying to get information himself. "The Lions can't escape the rift. Allura's trying to get to them but Green thinks there's something familiar about the place she's sensing on the other side of the rift," Ed reported and Mustang was relieved that his youngest subordinate's panic seemed to have been pushed aside for the moment.

Suddenly, Ed pulled away from Al for a reason none of them knew. To their shock, Ed's eyes glowed, similar in the way they did when he used his tracking array. However, this time he wasn't using his tracking array and instead of glowing blue, they glowed green for a moment before they glowed yellow, followed by red then blue and finally black before returning to their usual golden colour. Ed didn't seem to have noticed anything had happened. "Look out the window!" Ed ordered before he turned quickly on his heel and threw the window open. None of the others hesitated as they followed him, too perplexed by everything that was happening to question it as they gather around the small window and peered out.

Before Mustang could ask what they were supposed to be seeing, a flash of white light covered the sky. Once it dissipated, which it did rapidly, the five Amestrians watched as five glowing objects, rapidly growing in size, headed straight for Ishval.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter five for you all! And yes, it is Sunday, technically. It's like 2am but what is sleep, am I right? I haven't said so in my last couple of updates but I really hope everyone is staying safe and able to keep themselves entertained while in lockdown. I dunno about your countries but mine is starting to get slightly laxer in their restrictions, or at least my state is. But I've got my story to write and Netflix to keep me entertained until everything goes back to normal.
> 
> I dunno if I've replied to all of last week's reviews but I would love to thank everyone who did leave me a review! I really, really did appreciate them all and I really hope you guys will leave me a review on this chapter, mainly because I wanna hear your thoughts on how I ended this chapter XD I'll see ya'll next week!


	6. Chapter 6

" _Paladins, please report to the war room within ten dobashes. All Paladins, please report to the war room with ten dobashes."_ Lance and Keith looked at each other once Allura's voice had finished repeating the message over the Castle-Ship's systems. There was an undercurrent of emergency to her voice and that got the two Paladins slightly worried. In the near six months – or the Altean equivalent anyway – since Edward and Mustang had helped them defeat Zarkon and Haggar (and Lance knew he wasn't the only one who couldn't believe it had already been half a year since they'd met the alchemists and won the war), there had been very few causes for Allura to sound like that.

"There's probably been another report of some Galran general trying to take control of another planet or something," Keith said casually as he and Lance relaxed out of their fighting stances.

"Probably," Lance said in agreement. "Damned shame. I was about to kick your arse too," Lance said with a cocky grin that had Keith rolling his eyes.

"Sure you were," Keith said with a smirk.

" _Behave yourselves,"_ Blue ordered, her voice echoing in Lance's mind. From the way Keith's lips twitched in annoyance, Red had said something similar to him.

"Yes, Boss," Lance said, ruffling Blue's ears as he and Keith joined their Lions near where the water pouches were kept so they could grab one each. "But we really should go and find out what's worrying Allura," Lance said after a moment.

"Yeah. Hopefully it's nothing major," Keith said, draining his water pouch before tossing it down the slot that acted as the bin for the primary training room.

"Have we ever been that lucky?" Lance asked, mimicking Keith's action with his own empty water pouch. Keith's huffed breath was enough of an answer that he didn't need to give a verbal response. Lance turned to his Lion. "Has Green wrangled the gremlin or does she require some help?" Lance asked her. He felt her amusement as she reached out to her sister before she was able to give him an answer.

" _Surprisingly, Pidge and her family have just reached a point where they can spare her so both she and Green are on their way to the war room as we speak,"_ Blue told him.

Seeing Keith's raised brow, Lance was quick to repeat the message. "Green's got her so we don't have to hunt her down and drag her to the meeting," Lance told him.

"Good. So there's no reason we shouldn't be heading for the war room as well?" Keith asked and this time, Lance was the one who rolled his eyes.

"I don't see you leaving for the war room right now," Lance snarked.

" _Behave,"_ Blue growled just as Red pinned her ears back at Keith, likely snarling her own orders for Keith to stop his shit. _"Allura's getting impatient so I suggest we get going now instead of continuing this banter,"_ she told him and Lance pouted.

"You ruin all my fun," Lance whined as he and Blue followed Keith and Red out of primary training room.

" _You'll live and, more importantly, Allura won't be likely to kill you and Keith because you two were late to what seems to be an important meeting because you were busy snarking at each other,"_ Blue told him dryly.

"Yeah, you may have a point," Lance acquiesced gracefully.

"If she's telling you about not wanting us to be killed by Allura for being late, both she and Red have the same point," Keith muttered and Lance laughed before letting the following comfortable silence reign over the rest of their walk.

Over the last six months since Zarkon and Haggar's defeat and Ed and Mustang leaving to go back to their own dimension and country, there had been numerous changes on the Castle-Ship. For starters, there were fewer missions for Voltron to accept. In fact, most calls for aid only required a Lion or two for the threat to be dealt with, with only a few exceptions. All of the prisoners who had been rescued from Zarkon's ship during the fight between Voltron, the two alchemists and Zarkon and Haggar had been returned home but they had come across several other prisoner camps held in Galran ships or on planets the Galran had taken by force so their journey back to Earth had been delayed time and time again.

Allura had been apologetic the first couple of times, growing increasingly so with each prison camp they came across and planet they liberated until it got to the point where she was pushing herself to try and get the freed aliens home in record time so she could get the Paladins back to Earth like she'd promised. Finally, Shiro had forced Allura to stay with them after dinner one night and talk it through, explaining that the Paladins understood and weren't mad with her for wanting to free the prisoners and planets from the few Galrans still trying to emulate Zarkon. Though they admitted they weren't happy about not being back on Earth, all five Paladins had promised Allura that they would rather help those who needed it now than forsake them in order to get home a little sooner. With the threat of Haggar and Zarkon destroyed permanently, as Hunk had pointed out, Earth was no longer in as much danger as it had been of being invaded so they could wait a little longer. The relief that Allura had felt that her Paladins weren't mad with her had been obvious to those at the table with her when she'd nearly forgotten herself and slumped gracelessly in the chair she sat in.

Another obvious change had been to the bonds with Voltron. Not only between the Lions and their pilots but also between the pilots and between the Lions themselves. Being able to transform between their flesh bodies and mechanical forms has meant the Lions had been involved in far more of the team bonding exercises than before and they'd never get sick of being able to seek their pilots out for cuddles when they wanted them. The pilots had also found themselves growing closer with one another as the environment in the Castle-Ship changed from always being tense, waiting for the moment where they'd be called to fight Zarkon and Haggar for the good of the universe, to almost completely relaxed, with tension only growing when they got news of a power-hungry general trying to make themselves the new Zarkon. Also helping to strengthen their bond was how open they were with one another now. It was like everyone had hesitated to grow close to the others more than necessary just in case someone didn't survive the fight with the two near-immortal Galrans but with all of them alive and Zarkon and Haggar destroyed, that hesitation had disappeared. Being able to be so open with one another had strengthened everyone's bonds to the point where Voltron had grown far stronger each time they'd formed the mech during the last six months, making Allura very happy and Coran so proud he'd been moved to tears a couple of times.

Keith, Lance, Blue and Red were joined quickly by Shiro and Black – who had been enjoying some down time in the library – and, a few moments later, Hunk and Yellow – who had heading to the kitchen to grab a snack – as they headed for the war room. Black was pouting slightly as she joined her sisters and Shiro explained that she had been speaking with Ed when the call from Allura had come through for them to gather and wasn't happy she had to wrap the conversation up early. Both Lance and Hunk felt a mixture of amusement and sympathy towards the Black Lion and they could see that Keith did somewhat as well.

"How is Ed doing?" Lance asked as they walked towards the war room.

"Good," Shiro said. "From what Black told me, he and General Mustang are travelling with Alphonse, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc to spend three days in Ishval before travelling back to Central. They're actually leaving this morning," Shiro told them.

All of then had known about the plans to travel to Ishval since the Lions had been privy to Ed's conversation with Grumman the day they had discussed his contract and inviting Scar to the Promised Day memorial but Lance realised he had forgotten when Ed and Mustang would be travelling to Ishval. Knowing all about the war between Ed's country and Ishval, Lance couldn't help but feel worried about his friend spending time in it and he knew full well he wasn't the only one on the Castle-Ship who felt the same way. Ed had ended up spending several minutes easing the worries of each Lion before they'd accepted that he would be perfectly safe in Ishval with his brother, Mustang and two of their team with him after he and Alphonse had gotten back to Gracia's that night.

"I wonder if Ed will end up killing Mustang and hiding his body in Ishval," Keith mused as they walked and both Lance and Hunk snorted in amusement.

"I'm sure Ed wouldn't do that," Shiro told Keith, voice slightly scolding. Everyone – including the four Lions with them – did not look like they held the same faith in Shiro's words as Shiro did.

Just before they reached the war room, they finally ran into Pidge and Green. "What's up, losers?" came the greeting from the Green Paladin as she nodded to them. Green rumbled her own hello to the group as she joined her fellow Lions where they waited for their Paladins outside the war room's doors. "Anyone know what's going on? Green couldn't get anything from Allura," she said once the four guys had joined her where she stood.

"No clue but we'll find out shortly. Let's get in there," Shiro told them before he placed his hand on the pad so the door would open for them.

Walking in, they were both completely unsurprised to find both Allura and Coran bent over the large table in the middle of the room, fervently discussing something. Both of them looked up when they heard the slight whoosh of the door and Shiro could see the stress on both their faces. Glancing at the other Paladins and the Lions, Shiro headed straight for the table and the Alteans. "What's going on?" Shiro asked once he was at the table. Keith and Lance settled in on his right while Hunk and Pidge stood on his left, eyeing the digital display with critical eyes.

"A week ago Coran and I received a message from the planet Judellie," Allura started explaining as she straightened out of her stance to look at them properly. "The Judellians and their neighbouring planets were attacked by someone calling themselves Lotor. He was searching for an exceedingly rare type of comet that had crashed in their galaxy, Kalayla, and he'd uncovered that one of the three planets in that section had it. They saw him coming in on their security system but their defences couldn't keep him out. To their surprise, however, all he did was search their whole planet from the air, never once landing his ship. At first, they couldn't figure what he was doing until he'd searched the whole planet," Allura told them. "Once he'd finished searching from the air though, he somehow took over their planet's communications system and demanded them to either turn over something he called a 'trans-reality stone' or tell him where it was. If they didn't comply with either request, he would destroy their planet's core. To prove he wasn't bluffing, this Lotor fellow fired an energy beam that started drilling a hole into the planet. He warned them that they only had four vargas to give him the information before the drill reached a point where the planet would be lost whether he stopped or not," Allura told them, her eyes blazing with fury.

"What happened to the planet?" Pidge asked, her voice betraying her anger at the actions of this Lotor person.

"They didn't have what he was seeking and they didn't know who did," Allura told them. "They told him as much but he didn't believe them. They contacted us, sent us files containing videos of his ship and what their drones could capture before they were shot down when they approached his ship and they begged him to leave their planet, telling him that no one on their planet even recognised the name of the object he was seeking. He beamed them a photo, which we have a copy of, of the object he was looking for but they didn't recognise it and they told him so." Allura's head hung in sadness and Shiro saw everyone look uneasy about what she would say next. "Lotor destroyed their planet. A few thousand citizens escaped by being off planet or using the escape shuttles but the planet was destroyed and so were most of the people," Allura informed them.

"Why wasn't Voltron called in?" Lance demanded. "We could've helped!"

"Lance!" Shiro reprimanded immediately as Allura flinched back at the anger in Lance's voice. Blue was immediately at her pilot's side, offering what comfort she could.

"We weren't told until fifteen dobashes before they were destroyed," Allura told Lance, her voice soft. "I offered Voltron's aid, offered to wormhole straight to them, but they declined. They wanted to focus on getting us all the information they could and ask us to warn their neighbours about the threat and that some of their citizens would likely seek asylum from them," Allura informed them all and Lance shifted slightly, the guilt he felt over his unfounded anger showing. "We immediately got in touch with Planets Markeri and Kinsbo and informed them of the situation. The three planets were friendly with each other and both surviving planets have assured me they will take in the Judellians who had survived, should they come to them. They have also promised to keep a close eye on their deep space security systems and contact us if a ship matching Lotor's is spotted," Allura said before she took in a deep steadying breath, apparently working up the courage to say whatever she needed to tell them next.

"I can take it from here, if you would like, Allura?" Coran quietly offered and Allura gave a curt nod. "The photo of the trans-reality rock that Lotor so desperately seeks held a small clue for us to discover," Coran revealed, pulling up the photo so it hovered in the middle of the table and he pointed out what he wanted them to see. There, in the background was someone who had just entered the frame as the photo was taken. There was no mistaking that Galran purple fur or yellow eyes.

"Is that a Galran?" Hunk asked, needing the clarification and Coran nodded, pleased his Paladins had caught on.

"What's most interesting is that I personally knew that Galran," Coran informed them. Without fail, all of their mouths gaped in surprise and Coran nodded in understanding. "10,000 years ago, this particular Galran worked as a scientist and she spent her time split between her home planet and Altea. Now, keeping in mind that the only Galrans we know who have survived 10,000 years were Zarkon and Haggar, even if she originally born an Altean, the fact that I know this Galran told both of us that this picture was taken 10,000 years ago," Coran told them and Shiro nodded.

"So this chunk of rock is what this Lotor is looking for?" Shiro asked, gesturing to the image of the black, unremarkable looking stone. "And this photo was taken 10,000 years ago?"

"Yes to both questions," Coran said. "When I realised I knew the Galran in the photo, I recalled something I had completely forgotten about, even after the revelation that Haggar was Honerva," Coran told them. "A comet had crashed on Daibazaal – oh, I'd say 10 or so deca-phoebs before Altea was lost – and Honerva had been invited to study it, being Altea's strongest alchemist and scientist at the time. It was how she and Zarkon originally met, actually, and they fell in love and were wed within a couple of deca-phoebs of meeting," Coran said, eyes both joyful and sorrowful at the memory of two friends who had been truly lost to him far longer than six months ago. "Since I was neither an alchemist nor a scientist, I didn't receive much information about the project. However, Alfor kept me apprised on anything he thought I should know, including his worries for Honerva." Coran sighed slightly.

"Honerva had always been dedicated to her studies. Anything that caught her interest held it until she understood every small bit of it. Number 5 here has always reminded me of Honerva in some ways," Coran said with a small, fond chuckle as he glanced at Pidge, who had twitched back slightly at the comparison. "However, two or so phoebs before Altea was destroyed, Alfor confided to me one day about Honerva. He had visited the Galran home planet as often as possible and had been horrified to find his friend looking as she did. Rather than the strong, healthy Altean he had seen half a deca-phoeb ago, he found himself facing a skinny, gaunt, pale shadow of Honerva. When he expressed his worries to both Honerva and Zarkon, they had dismissed them before trying to encourage him to join them on their quest for immortality. When he refused, Zarkon had him leave, something he had never done to Alfor before," Coran said, eyes turning dark at the insult to his king and his closest friend.

"A phoeb later," Coran continued after drawing in a calming breath, "Zarkon reached out to Alfor and gave him some exciting news. Honerva was pregnant with their first child," Coran told them and there were several gasps.

"She was pregnant?" Lance asked, the mental image of Haggar as a mother something his mind refused to accept. That witch had fought them viciously, almost killing them all and held Ed up by his throat and watched gleefully as he struggled to breath. There was no way she had given birth to and raised a child.

Coran nodded. "Alfor rejoiced at the news. His best friend and one of his closest friends would be parents in a few short phoebs and he'd hoped that finding out she was expecting would have Honerva abandon her studies, restoring her health and mind. Alas," Coran said with a said sigh, "neither happened. Alfor and the three other original Paladins received a call from Zarkon. Distressed, he revealed that Honerva had managed to sneak out of their room that night and had entered the rift caused by the trans-reality stone she studied. Knowing how dangerous this rift was, Alfor immediately ordered Voltron to enter the rift, desperate to help his best friend find his pregnant wife," Coran told them. "Zarkon had other plans. He dismantled Voltron and left Black the moment they were inside the rift. Alfor had no choice; he ordered Blue and Yellow's pilots to grab Black and exit the rift after the energy held within started overwhelming them."

Shiro looked at Black, who had sighed mournfully at the memories. "I'm sorry, girl," he said, ruffling her ears as he spoke through their bond. Black nuzzled into his touch as she took what comfort she could. "What happened after that?" Shiro asked, looking at Coran, who had been watching Black with sad eyes.

"My father evacuated Daibazaal and destroyed the planet in order to destroy the trans-reality stone and rift that had been opened," Allura told them, speaking over Coran. Her jaw muscles twitched at how much effort she was putting into keeping a blank mask in place. "Somehow, Honerva and Zarkon not only survived but escaped the rift. They found their planet destroyed and, for some reason, Zarkon took that to mean my father had murdered his entire race alongside his planet. Enraged, Zarkon located Blaytz, destroyed him and left for somewhere we don't know," Allura said bluntly, eyes flickering to Blue in apology. "When my father found out what Zarkon had done and buried Blaytz, he started searching for Zarkon. I hadn't been informed of what had happened, only that Daibazaal had been destroyed because there was no other choice." There was a hint of anger in her eyes as she spoke and everyone could understand why.

"While Alfor searched for Zarkon, the Galran was hunting down the other Paladins," Coran said, interjecting himself into the conversation once more. "He located them one by one and, one by one, he cut them down. Each time Alfor found one of his friend's bodies, he took them to their home to be buried before ordering their Lion to hide herself on a planet she thought she wouldn't be found. When he came back to Altea, beating Zarkon by a matter of vargas, he took the Black Lion and, as you know, hid her in the Castle-Ships bowels before alchemically trapping her there until the requirements of the array were met and it could be broken. Almost as soon as he had finished hiding her, Zarkon arrived," Coran continued speaking but his voice was starting to tremble slightly with emotion. "I'll never forget that video transmission. Zarkon physically looked the same as he had done for years but there was nothing but coldness and darkness in his eyes. Any hint of the Galran Alfor once called 'brother' was completely gone," Coran told them.

"He demanded the return of his Lion. When Alfor refused, Zarkon informed him that Altea would be destroyed as payback for Daibazaal and that he would take the Red Lion as a spoil of war. Alfor didn't get the chance to try and talk him down from his attack as Zarkon immediately ended the video transmission," Coran said, eyes downcast. "Alfor found Allura and I and led us to the cryotube room in the Castle-Ship. He apologised for what he had done, told us what was about to happen to Altea before informing us that we would be woken when a Paladin next entered the room. He placed us in the cryo-tubes and the five of you woke us 10,000 years later," Coran told them, his voice thick with repressed emotions as he remembered that last day on Altea.

Allura placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "When Coran realised the photo was 10,000 years old, I recalled overhearing my father speaking with Zarkon when he was told Honerva was pregnant. My father asked Zarkon if they had thought of what they would call their child and Zarkon told him they had settled on a name. Their child would be called Lotor," Allura informed them.

"Lotor?" Lance repeated, apparently understanding what the Altean princess was implying. "Do you think that this Lotor, the one who destroyed Judellie is the child Honerva was pregnant with 10,000 years ago?" he asked incredulously and Allura nodded.

"At first, no, I wasn't sure. I had thought it was merely a coincidence but I read through the files the Judellians sent us. Lotor claimed to be Zarkon and Haggar's child when he made his demands, likely expecting that claim alongside his threat would be more than enough to make them produce the stone if they had it," Allura told him. "But that question does bring us to what Coran and I have been doing in the week since we received that transmission," Allura told them before she removed the holographic photo of the rock and replaced it with a photo of someone sitting in the pilot seat of a medium sized fighter ship. "This is Lotor. It was taken by a Judellian drone," she explained.

The man in the pilot's seat had cold, hard eyes. Though he wore a helmet, they could see the yellow of his eyes, though his pupils were blue, something not seen in a Galran. His skin was lavender purple, rather than the darker purple of Zarkon or any other Galran. What they could see of his face was finer in shape, resembling Allura's own rather than Zarkon, a clear sign of his Altean heritage. There were no markings on his cheekbones however but Lance could see a lock of white hair that hadn't been hidden by his helmet. There was no doubt in Lance's mind, or Blue's when Lance asked, that the person in the photo was half-Galran, half-Altean.

"When I heard the name and saw the photo, I knew in my heart this was the child – now grown – that Honerva had been pregnant with," Allura told them, no doubts in her voice. "But I still wanted proof. So Coran and I have spent all week delving into every bit of information we've pulled from Galran ships and we found something buried deep within the information pulled from Zarkon's ship," Allura revealed, dismissing the photo of Lotor with an angry swipe of her hand. "Both Honerva and Zarkon kept meticulous records of their lives, both from before and after what had happened to them," she told them.

"Honerva's records stopped, however, the night she entered the rift," Coran told them. "I was awake when Alfor had gotten the call from Zarkon and I remember the date. Nothing more has been entered into her journals after that day. Interestingly, several quintets later, Haggar's recordings started," Coran revealed. "It was from Zarkon's entries where we found the answers we sought," Coran said and Allura nodded.

"Whatever had happened to Honerva in that rift, it wiped all of her memories. She had no clue who she was, that she was married to Zarkon, not even that she was Altean. After Altea was destroyed and Zarkon found the Galran ships used by the inhabitants of Daibazaal to escape, he resumed his position as emperor. However, before he could do much more than that, Honerva collapsed," Allura said. "The medic that was called to help her was killed when Honerva drained her of her quintessence and the second medic called in had rushed to the body of the first medic, calling their name over and over as they assessed her. When Honerva was later asked by yet another medic for her name, she told them it was Haggar, the name of the medic she had killed as it was the only name Honerva knew at the time. From that moment on, she was known as Haggar," Allura told them.

"Zarkon didn't say anything?" Hunk questioned, unable to comprehend any reason why Zarkon wouldn't help Honerva with her memory.

Allura shook her head. "I think that whatever happened to him in that rift destroyed any love he held for Honerva. There's no referring to her as his wife in his entries, only references to the fact that she was carrying his child," Allura told them. "Haggar carried the child to term and Zarkon named him Lotor before sending him away to be raised by a Galran governess. Haggar had nothing to do with Lotor, shunning him at every turn and refusing to call herself his mother unless it was to her advantage. Several deca-phoebs later, Lotor was banished by Zarkon when he and Haggar learned Lotor had been working alongside the people of a planet he was supposed to harvesting of quintessence. In a rage upon discovering the planet had been destroyed, Lotor had spat hateful curses at Zarkon, which was when Zarkon banished him," Allura told them.

"Wait, he was upset the planet had been destroyed?" Lance asked. "If he was so against hurting innocent people, why the hell did he destroy Judellie?"

Allura shrugged a shoulder as she shook her head. "We may never know what caused Lotor to change from someone who wanted a mutual working relationship with planets, exchanging what he could give them for what he needed from them in time, to someone who destroys planets like he did with Judellie just because he didn't believe they didn't have what he wanted," Allura answered. "All we know is that sometime between being banished by Zarkon and appearing now, Lotor has become someone who Voltron needs to stop," she told them, looking all of them in the eye.

"We know this delays our plans to head to Earth once again but we cannot allow Lotor to continue on his path, not if we can stop him," Allura said, a hint of apology in her voice. "The rift that the trans-reality stone can open is filled with pure quintessence. It's too much to hope for that Lotor doesn't know that, not with what he's doing in order to obtain it and we know that Lotor is capable of draining something of its quintessence, considering that was what he was tasked to do by Zarkon before he was banished. We cannot allow someone as dangerous as this Lotor is to take or keep possession of that type of power. We just can't," Allura told them, voice pleading.

"We get it, Allura," Shiro assured her while the others nodded. "What's the plan?"

Allura's shoulders slumped slightly in relief. "One of the remaining planets in that cluster, Markeri, is able to hide itself from being detected by radar but only for a handful of vargas. The other planet, Kinsbo, isn't but we have been in daily contact with both planets and neither has reported a sighting of Lotor or his ship yet. We don't know the capabilities of Lotor's ship so we don't know how fast it can travel through space but all three planets are only a few quintets travel from one another. Lotor should be about to target one of them any dobash now," Allura told them.

"Allura and I are waiting for a call from Kinsbo as they haven't checked in with us yet," Coran told them, face slightly stricken at the possible reason _why_ the planet hadn't checked in.

"In the meantime, we need all five of you to read through the files I'm sending to your tablets now," Allura said, tapping a few Altean symbols in front of her and Pidge and Shiro's tablets dinged. "Once we've either spoken to Kinsbo or received word of what happened to them, we'll be heading for the Kalayla system. If they'll give us their actual coordinates, we'll be ending up near Markeri. If not, we'll be near Kinsbo, whether it remains or not." Allura sounded tired as she spoke but not physically tired. It was more like she was tired of still dealing with people destroying entire planets for no reason. Like she was tired of the fact that Voltron was still needed, despite Haggar and Zarkon being dead.

"Of course, Princess," Shiro said immediately and Allura gave them a grateful smile. Turning to the other Paladins, Shiro looked at Hunk, Lance and Keith. "Go and get your tablets then meet us back here so we can go through this information together. Unless you need the room for your call, Allura?" Shiro asked, turning back to the Altean.

Allura shook her head, making her white locks bounce slightly. "No, we will be taking the call in the control room. You're more than welcome to use this room as you like," Allura told them.

With a pointed look from Shiro, the three boys headed straight for wherever they'd left their tablets after using them last. Lance and Blue headed straight for his room while Hunk and Yellow headed for one of the relaxation rooms. Keith and Red were heading for the main loungeroom where Ed and Mustang had spent their last night on Castle-Ship in. All of the Lions were now thrumming with concern over what they had been told but were all trying to keep it from both their pilot and the alchemist they were bonded with.

" _Should we bring Ed up to speed?"_ Blue asked Black as she followed her pilot.

" _No, we don't fully know everything yet,"_ Black said after a moment. _"Let's get all the information we can from these files before we tell Ed what happened. He knows it might take a few vargas for everything to settle down,"_ Black said, defending her answer slightly.

" _But we will tell him once we know everything that's in those files, right?"_ Red asked and Black nodded.

" _As soon as our pilots have finished reading everything and we've been told about the call with Kinsbo, assuming it happens while we're going through the files, we will tell Ed,"_ she promised. _"It's likely this is going to end in a fight so he should be informed so he can prepare himself for that anyway,"_ Black told them.

" _Then I suggest you tell your pilots to hurry up. My pilot is ready to start digging into these files,"_ Green warned them, causing the other Lions to huff in amusement.

" _When isn't Pidge ready to devour information she doesn't know?"_ Red asked sarcastically.

Blue shook her head as Lance and she entered his room. He scooped up the tablet on his bedside table and gave her a smile. "Got it. Let's get back there," Lance said to her, ruffling her ears as he walked back out of his room and she followed him dutifully. "I hope Kinsbo answers Allura's call," Lance said quietly as they walked.

Blue rubbed her muzzle against his cheek. _"I hope so too,"_ she told him and received a one-armed hug in return.

The rest of their walk was done in silence, even when Yellow and Hunk joined up with them, tablet in Hunk's hand. Yellow and Blue exchanged glances at the shaky smiles their pilots exchanged but said nothing. They didn't see Red or Keith on the walk back but that was soon explained when they entered the war room and spotted both of them waiting with Shiro, Pidge, Black and Green. Coran and Allura had already left the war room for the control room. The four of them were soon sitting either on the chairs around the table or next to their pilot, ready to read over their shoulder. No words were spoken after Shiro gave them all a nod before he opened the file waiting for him. The others were quick to do the same and soon enough, they were all caught up in reading the information in front of them.

* * *

A varga later, Allura and Coran announced that they had managed to get a hold of the leader of the planet Kinsbo. They were busy settling in the survivors of Judellie, who had arrived that morning and was the reason why they had missed their scheduled check in with the Altean princess. Allura had called the leader of Markeri to let them know that Kinsbo still stood and taken in the surviving Judellians. She had been informed that Markeri had picked up an unknown ship on its defence systems. They'd activated their cloaking system in order to hide from the ship but they were on a time limit. In fact, they'd made a point of telling Allura that in seven vargas, their cloaking system would disable and they wouldn't be able to put it back in place until it had finished charging, something that would take three vargas to do.

Allura had offered to wormhole straight for them but they had declined, stating the appearance of the Castle-Ship would tip Lotor off to their location before their cloaking system ran out and there was no guarantee that Lotor would still be in range of them to pick their planet up on his radar before the cloaking failed. They refused to risk their planet because they had jumped the gun, so to speak, and asked for Voltron before there an actual reason to. Allura had – according to Coran when he spoke to them after she had left for the control room once more before leaving to follow her – been extremely concerned but hadn't pushed the matter, not wanting to risk insulting Markeri or worse, risking them not reaching out for aid when they did need it, now or in the future.

Once Allura and Coran had left once more for the control room – Coran reminding the Paladins and Lions to keep reading their files – they did just that. The only chatter in the war room was when someone needed something clarified or help translating the odd word here and there, something the Lions were more than happy to help with. Black had smirked when Shiro had immediately asked her when he came across the first word he needed help with, remembering when he and Mustang had both been trying to get the planet and galaxy systems the aliens they'd rescued from Zarkon's ship and Shiro hadn't considered asking her until Ed had snatched his tablet from him, asked Black and located the planet the distressed alien called home all in five ticks. Shiro was as unamused as she was amused with that memory.

As Lance read the files on Lotor, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the alien. He was born to Zarkon and Haggar, which had to suck in the first place, but he was raised completely by a governess who had been far stricter than fair. He only ever saw his father when he was presented to him four times a year – or deca-phoeb, whatever people in space called it – so Zarkon could be updated on his progress. The punishments if Lotor hadn't progressed as much as Zarkon expected were enough to make Lance cringe in sympathy. Lotor was never told who his mother was. Haggar never once claimed him as hers to his face however Lotor still figured out that Honerva was his birth mother sometime early on his life.

In fact, he had figured it out shortly before his banishment, even going so far as to cite that his mother – the Honerva who Zarkon had fallen in love with and married, not the one she had turned into after obsessing over the trans-reality stone – would have never approved of what Zarkon had been doing to the universe when he'd discovered what Zarkon had done to the planet he had been assigned. Lance had wondered if perhaps they had met this Lotor – the one who wanted to be like Honerva who, by all accounts, was a wonderful, kind-hearted, passionate woman – than maybe they would've been reaching out to him about joining the coalition instead of reading files on him to prepare to take him out before he became worse than his father.

" _Maybe we would've been, Lance, but we aren't and I would encourage you not to dwell on what could've been,"_ Blue told him gently. _"The Lotor we will be facing has obviously lost any of Honerva's influence – whatever little her memory and records Lotor found from her had on him – and I think it would be for the best that you try to forget he ever possessed any good qualities,"_ she said softly and Lance nodded, pushing the mild annoyance he felt at being lectured like a child away since he knew his Lion was only making sure he didn't hesitate in the fight against Lotor that would undoubtedly occur.

"I know, Blue. He destroyed that planet for no reason. I won't hesitate," Lance told her, using their bond so he didn't disturb the others. He felt Blue soften slightly next to him as he really let her advice and his own answer sink in.

" _Let's keep going with these files,"_ Blue said, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his cheek slightly.

Lance saw Hunk look over, obviously noticing Blue's affection and was worried Lance had become upset over something but the Cuban shot his best friend a genuine 'I'm alright' smile and Hunk relaxed back into his reading with Yellow. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"I need to go organise something for dinner," Hunk announced suddenly, startling most of them as he placed his tablet on the table and stood.

"Don't do anything too elaborate, Hunk. We need to get back to this," Shiro instructed and Hunk nodded.

"No worries. I'll just throw something simple together so we don't end up eating food goo," Hunk told him, shuddering slightly at the thought of eating the jelly-like stuff Coran insisted contained everything a Paladin needed, nutrition wise. Lance had muttered that taste was something the food goo needed but he wasn't sure Coran had heard him.

"Thanks, Hunk," Shiro said with a small, honest smile that the Yellow Paladin returned before he and his Lion headed for the kitchen. Shiro looked around at the others, all of whom had paused in their reading to watch the exchange and sighed slightly. "Go and take a break, guys. We'll pick this back up once we've had dinner," Shiro ordered as he mimicked Hunk's earlier actions and placed his tablet on the table in front of him.

"See you at dinner. I'm gonna go get Matt and Dad up to speed," Pidge said as she and Green beelined for the door.

Unlike the others, Pidge still held onto her tablet and Lance wondered if maybe someone should tell Pidge she should stay away from her experiments and whatnot so she didn't get caught up in them. He'd been about to say something when he caught sight of Green's eyes and knew there was no need for him to do anything. He kind of hoped Green would be forced to drag Pidge to the dining room by the back of her shirt like a naughty kitten again. It had been hilarious the first time she'd done so and it hadn't grown any less funny no matter how many times it had happened since.

"I'm gonna hit the showers," Lance said, leaving his tablet on the table before he headed out of the room with Blue on his heels. He heard Shiro's reminder not to take forever in the shower and Lance flapped a hand at him to show he'd heard.

When the two of them got to his room, Blue immediately claimed the bed as hers while Lance found a clean change of his clothing and headed into the bathroom after shaking his head at his Lion. Blue was definitely a creature of comfort, much like himself, so he never begrudged her much of anything. She just wasn't allowed on his bed if she was filthy until after he had cleaned her, a rule that had only been made because she had jumped onto his clean sheets while covered in dust after they'd gotten caught in a surprise dust storm on one of the planet's the rescued aliens called home. Lance had not been impressed to finish his own shower to find that he had to change his sheets _again_ that day.

"Did something happen?" Lance asked once he was finished in the bathroom, walking out as he towel-dried his hair and noticed Blue looking a little upset.

" _Nothing to do with Lotor or anything like that,"_ Blue assured him, causing him to frown.

"So what's with the face?" Lance asked, gesturing with one hand to her downturned expression.

" _We were talking to Ed to bring him up to date with everything but we didn't get much further than telling him Zarkon and Haggar/Honerva had a child who was now attacking planets,"_ Blue told him. _"He had to stop talking to us since he's in Ishval and his friend doesn't know about us. He was paying too much attention to us and not his friend, making his friend start to worry for him. He said we'd have to catch up tonight when he and Al go to bed,"_ Blue explained.

"Well I get why you're upset you couldn't talk to him for as long as you'd have liked but you'll be able to talk to him again in a couple of hours," Lance said, trying to be soothing but still not really understanding why Blue was upset. It's not like this was the first time their conversation with the blonde had been cut short because people around him were getting suspicious or concerned.

" _We probably won't be able to. He's got a big day tomorrow and we felt him planning on talking to his friend. There's still some tension between them because he killed Ed and Al's adopted aunt and uncle and tried to kill Ed on a couple of occasions. Ed thinks that Scar doesn't completely believe that Ed and Al have forgiven him for what he's done,"_ Blue revealed. Though what Scar had done to Ed in the past wasn't news to Lance, somehow he was still always in awe of how big Ed's heart was. Lance didn't know if he'd be as forgiving as Ed was towards the person who killed a family member of his. _"I don't think we'll talk to him again tonight. His talk with his friend might take a while and we've still got more reading to do about Judellie and Lotor. We probably won't get to talk to him until the morning now,"_ Blue said, bringing Lance out of his thoughts and back to what was making his Lion sad.

"I know you want to check in on him and make sure he'd not worried about us but maybe it's best he hears about everything tomorrow," Lance said, making Blue raise her brow in a silent question. "We'll have all the information we can get by morning and Allura should know by then whose planet we will be having the meeting she wants on. Right now we only know what some of those files contain and Ed might have questions we can't answer. Plus, he'll already be concerned about Scar and he'll only be more concerned about us if we don't have all the answers," Lance told her. He could feel her admit that he was right but she didn't seem any happier about that fact.

" _Yeah, you're probably right,"_ Blue admitted, though she sounded reluctant to do so.

Throwing his towel over his chair, Lance ruffled Blue's ears before he pulled on his olive-green jacket. "Let's go and get some dinner so we can get those answers so you can pass them onto Ed in the morning, alright?" Lance suggested and Blue nodded before she pulled herself off the bed.

" _Yellow did just say that dinner was ready so it's probably a good idea we go join them before the food is all gone,"_ Blue told him and Lance made an exaggerated noise of betrayal.

"You're only telling me this now?! Blue! You cannot keep the news that my _hermano_ has finished cooking up another of his masterpieces from me like that! I have to be told immediately!" Lance informed her dramatically. She made sure there was no way for her pilot to miss her rolling her eyes at him.

" _If you keep being so dramatic, everyone will finish the food before you get any,"_ Blue warned, knowing full well that Hunk would keep some food aside for Lance if he did end being late to the table for a meal.

"So let's go!" Lance said as he started practically pushing her out of the room and into the corridor.

Blue rolled her eyes once more but allowed him to be as theatrical as he was. It was one of his best qualities and he knew just how effective his acting that way was at bringing anyone out of a bad or morose mood, just like she had been in. Lance made sure that the door to his room slid shut before he started striding purposefully towards the kitchen, talking out loud about what he thought Hunk may have cooked up for them tonight. Blue flicked her tail in amusement as she walked beside her pilot and for the hundredth time wondered if her pilot even knew what he did for those around him by acting the way he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those of you who've left kudos and comments throughout the story and on the last chapter. Kudos and comments are an author's lifeblood and I would really love to get your thoughts on this chapter! See you all next week!


	7. Chapter 7

"Excellent, you're all still here." Everyone looked up from the table where they were enjoying breakfast after catching a few vargas sleep, having managed to finish reading everything contained in the files they'd been given the previous day. Allura looked slightly harried and immensely relieved. "Finish your breakfasts quickly. We need to wormhole to Kinsbo immediately. They've agreed to allow us to land in their capital city so we can meet with their leaders in person and discuss a battleplan with them and Markeri," she informed them, speaking quickly.

"Wait, has Markeri managed to evade detection?" Shiro asked even as he and Black, already finished with their breakfast. The Paladins and Lion who were still eating had resumed doing so with a vigorous pace while they listened intently.

"Lotor moved out of their range with an hour to spare on their cloaking device. It's been brought down to recharge fully just in case he comes back," Allura told him. "Kinsbo and Markeri do not want to risk another close call however and have asked that we join them within a varga for a war meeting," Allura told them.

"Does either planet have eyes on Lotor?" Pidge asked as she polished off the last of the food remaining on her plate. Sam looked a little disgusted at how quickly his daughter had eaten half a plate's worth of food while Matt looked impressed.

"No, he's in a dead zone where neither of their deep space security systems can see him," Allura answered, looking a little worried about that fact. "All of their systems are primed so they'll be informed the moment he crosses back into either of their ranges but until then, we can't know where exactly he is or what he's doing," she told them before she shook her head slightly to clear her mind of that issue and bring herself back to the reason she had rushed down to the dining area. "Once you've all finished breakfast, please join us in the control room so we can jump," Allura instructed before disappearing back out the door so she could gather the mince so she knew they would be safe while they wormholed.

Shiro turned to instruct his team to follow the princess' order but found himself not needing to as he watched them eat the last mouthful and stand from the table, only stopping to grab their Lion's plate before they started walking past the Black Paladin so they could put their dirty dishes in the kitchen and get to the control room. Even Sam and Matt were finished with their food and Shiro scowled when Matt smirked at him as he walked past him. It took a decent amount of self-control on Shiro's part to not smack the youngest male Holt on the shoulder for the teasing smirk. Feeling a nudge against his back, he let himself start walking forward, not willing to fight his Lion on something he knew he should've been doing without a reminder.

"Did you manage to get Ed up to speed?" Shiro asked as the pair headed for the kitchen.

All the Paladins had known the Lions hadn't contacted the blonde since the small break they'd had just before dinner and they all knew that that conversation had been upsettingly short for both parties. They also all knew of the Lions' decision to leave the conversation until morning rather than that night like Ed was expecting since the Lions knew Ed would likely be speaking with Scar in order to clear the air between them that night and he'd probably be distracted by whatever happened between them until he went to sleep. Shiro was well aware that Black had been utilising the time she'd been eating to speak with Ed now that he was awake and he could only assume the other Lions had been as well.

" _To a point,"_ Black grumbled, a touch of irritation in her voice. _"He knows about what happened to Zarkon and Honerva; how they met, what Honerva was studying, what that did to her and what Zarkon did in order to try and save her and their unborn son. He also knows what Alfor was forced to do to Daibazaal and why Zarkon attacked Altea. He knows that Lotor was born to Haggar but Honerva was who fell pregnant with him and he knows of what happened to Blue's, Green's and Yellow's original Paladins. Before we could tell him anything else though, Al was hurrying him up so they wouldn't be late to the meeting between them, Mustang and the Ishvalen elders so we had to say goodbye and promise to speak later,"_ Black explained when Shiro had questioned her less detailed original answer.

"Didn't you say that Ed and his brother were planning on trying to get out of the meeting and tour to help with the remaining rebuilding efforts if they could?" Shiro asked and Black nodded. "So he'll probably check in during the day and if you guys aren't busy, you can finish bringing him up on speed. The meeting with Kinsbo and Markeri will likely be pretty much over by the time Ed can talk with you anyways," Shiro told her, smiling when he felt her mood shift into something brighter.

' _You're probably right. As long as Ed isn't doing anything where he shouldn't be distracted, we'll be able to talk to him without other people noticing him looking like he's daydreaming or thinking over a complicated problem,"_ Black said, certainly sounding a little brighter than she had before.

"That's the spirit," Shiro said as he ruffled her ears. They'd made it to the kitchen and Shiro put their dishes up next to the pile of dirty dishes from the others before they immediately backtracked and headed for the control room. "Just make sure Ed is looking after himself in the desert heat. He barely remembers to do so in Central and he's not as likely to get heatstroke there," Shiro requested, making Black huff in amusement.

" _You really are such a mother-hen,"_ she teased him, making him flush slightly. _"However, you do have a point and I will be sure to make sure he is drinking plenty of water and eating when he needs to,"_ she promised him and Shiro allowed himself to relax slightly.

"Thanks," he said and she nodded, still amused at his fussing. She just knew that Ed would mutter about Shiro not even being in the same dimension as him and needing to relax when she told the blonde alchemist about this. Shiro didn't think he liked the slightly mischievous feeling he was getting from his Lion.

Before he could interrogate her about it, they were entering the control room and checking the room. All other Paladins and Lions were waiting in their seats and Shiro and Black were quick to take theirs. Sam and Matt were standing beside Pidge and Hunk as they waited for Allura to take control of the ship and open a wormhole for them. She nodded at Shiro and Black as they sat and Shiro secured himself into the seat with his harness. Once she'd seen his thumbs up, Allura placed her hands on the rods in front of her and a glowing array appeared in the sky in front of them before the symbols and circles morphed into a swirling blue mass.

"Now, Coran," Allura instructed as she held the wormhole open and Coran gave a nod, pressing the needed button to get the Castle-Ship moving straight for the swirling blue circle. "Wormhole jump in 5, 4, 3…" Allura started the countdown and Shiro felt himself tense his arm tighter around Black as Allura reached '1' and they entered the wormhole.

The familiar rush and disconcerting feeling that always came with a wormhole jump rapidly started fading as they came out on the other side of it. A planet sat in front of them, so close that they couldn't see any of the space it sat in through the glass that separated them from the unforgiving environment outside. The planet was predominately orange, the kind of orange a sunset was just before the sun finished slipping below the horizon on Earth but there were sections of green scattered throughout the orange. Shiro found himself wondering which colour represented their oceans or large bodies of water when Allura got their attention once more.

"This is Kinsbo," she told them, gesturing to the planet. Coran wasn't paying much attention to the princess as he configured the ship to lock onto the beacon the Kinsbo natives had given him so the Castle-Ship could be guided down to where they were holding the meeting without much input from the orange-haired Altean. "We should reach the meeting point within ten dobashes. The Lions are to stay on the Castle-Ship as – be quiet now," Allura scolded the five Lions when they made protesting noises. The cross tone of her voice – as though she considered them to be misbehaving children rather than the Lions that made Voltron – had them immediately doing as she said, a chided air about them as they waited for her to continue. "As I was saying, the Lions will be staying on the Castle-Ship as the people of Kinsbo believe they will be unable to fit into the meeting room with us. Evidently, having the six of us in the meeting room will already make it so everyone will be rather close to one another so the Lions have been asked to stay here and I agreed," Allura told them. "If we require their aid, I'm sure they will be by our side within moments," Allura added before anyone could ask that question.

"I assume that means that we're to stay here as well?" Sam asked, unsurprised but a little disappointed. Usually the planets they visited for diplomatic or supply reasons were more than happy to allow the humans who weren't Paladins explore what their planet had to offer.

Allura looked at them understandingly. "Yes, you will be required to stay with the ship as well. The leaders of Kinsbo don't allow foreigners to explore their planet without a guide – there are numerous dangers around their homes that would be hard for someone not native to their planet to spot – and everyone who they would trust enough to be your guide is busy helping set up defences or will be with us in the meeting," Allura told them apologetically.

"That's alright. Just thought I'd check," Sam said, giving Allura a small smile. "We have plenty of work to keep us entertained while you're talking with them."

"Hopefully we'll only be a few vargas," Allura told them, "but it will depend on whether Kinsbo and Markeri are be on the same page as one another," she added, a slightly hopeful expression flittering across her features that everything in this meeting will run smoothly and that they will be back on the Castle-Ship by the midday meal.

"Seven dobashes out, Princess," Coran announced and Allura nodded in thanks.

"Let's prepare what information we'll need to give them access to," Allura said, leading the Paladins and Lions to the war room. Pidge held them up slightly as she hugged her father and brother goodbye, whispering assurances to them until they let her rejoin the group. Once in the war room, Allura brought up the files she'd sent to their tablets the previous day. "Okay, these are all the files, as you all well know. What files do you all think should be given to the people of Kinsbo and Markeri?"

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ that took us all day! Those two planets stress far too much about the tiny details for it to be healthy," Lance muttered to Blue through their bond. He would've made the comment out loud, likely getting murmurs of agreement from Hunk and Pidge and maybe Keith but the Kinsbo people had rather good hearing and he didn't want to offend them because – aside from obsessing over every tiny thing – they were very nice.

" _They're worried about their people and they don't want to leave anything unaccounted for,"_ Blue said soothingly and Lance sighed as he realised she was probably spot on about the reason behind the overwhelming amount of caution shown by the two planets. _"Are you on your way back to the ship now?"_ Blue asked and Lance nodded.

"Yeah, just about. One of our guides is helping someone with one of the new security systems but he should be done shortly," Lance told her. He could feel her displeasure at having to continue waiting for him to get back on the ship where she could keep an eye on him and he sympathised with that. Not once in the six months since Zarkon and Haggar's defeat have he and Blue been separated unless she has needed mechanical repairs or Lance has needed to spend time in a healing pod – something that has only happened three times in the last six months and only one injury was the result of a battle that had required Voltron. Movement caught his eye and he spotted their missing guide walking towards them. "Looks like we're leaving now," Lance told Blue.

" _Good. It's been very boring on the ship without you or the others around,"_ Blue informed him and Lance huffed loud enough that he caught Hunk's attention.

Giving his best friend a shake of the head, telling him it was nothing, Lance sent an amused smirk through his bond with Blue. "You seem to have survived," he said and she let out a dramatic sigh.

" _Barely!"_ she groaned and Lance didn't bother trying to hide his amused grin. _"I was almost hoping someone would try and start trouble to alleviate my boredom since you've been in that meeting all day and Ed's been too busy helping Ishvalens rebuild their homes to talk much,"_ she whined.

Just as Lance was about to lecture her for saying that sort of thing out loud, the sound of rapid footsteps was heard from behind them. Their guides, Allura and the Paladins all spun around to find another Kinsbo native tearing towards them, his four feet slapping against the stone path in a way that sounded painful to Lance. Before Allura or anyone else for that matter could ask what was happening, the alien had reached them and was struggling to speak as he heaved for breath.

Realising they couldn't understand him, the alien straightened from his bent over position and immediately started calming his breathing down to a point where he could be understood. "Lotor's ship was picked up on our radar! He's heading straight for us!"

For a moment, no one did anything. However, that was broken when Allura spun to face her Paladins. "Get to the Lions!" she barked and the five Paladins wasted no time.

One of their guides had realised what they would be doing and took off ahead of them, leading the five through the maze of paths and back to the Castle-Ship. Shiro looked over his shoulder to find all four of his team right on his six. "Tell your Lion to meet you outside the ship!" he ordered and all four nodded before he passed the order onto Black himself.

" _We're already heading for the closest door,"_ Black informed him. _"One of the aliens was nice enough to give Coran a heads up,"_ she explained before he could ask.

They broke through the dense forest that covered the city they'd been in and Shiro watched as the Castle-Ship grew closer. Just when the five of them had made it about halfway to the ship – their guide having left them once the ship was in view – Shiro saw five large colourful objects emerge from a door that had opened and closed immediately behind them. The five Lions separated as they exited the ship until they felt they were far enough away from both the ship and each other before they glowed simultaneously. By the time their Paladin had reached them, each Lion had reverted to their mechanical form and lowered their jaw immediately to allow them access.

"Everyone in?" Shiro asked as he took his seat in front of Black's controls and allowed the automatic harness to strap him in.

"Ready in Blue," came the immediate reply from Lance and Shiro was unsurprised to hear from him first. Lance was the quickest out of the Paladins and had reached his Lion before the others had managed to.

"Ready in Red," Keith informed him and Shiro watched as the video feed from both Blue and Red flickered on in Black, showing him both pilots waiting to go.

"I'm set," Pidge told him as the video feed from Green flickered to life on the screen next to Keith's.

"I'm here. We're good to go," Hunk said, slightly breathless from the run and, sure enough, the fourth screen turned on to show Shiro his fourth team member ready in his Lion.

" _Paladins."_ Allura's voice sounded over their comms and they immediately let her know they could all hear her. _"I've been escorted to the security room until a guide can take me back to the Castle-Ship,"_ Allura explained before any of them could ask where she was since she hadn't followed them to the ship. _"Lotor is moving fast and we have just received word from Markeri. One of the moons that surround their planet had registered an unknown craft landing on it. A security team was sent out to investigate and they found that their chunk of trans-reality stone had been stolen from it. The video footage from the cameras set up to watch the area were mostly destroyed but they were able to recover a fragment of film and confirmed it was Lotor who stole it. Upon discovering that he managed to bypass all of their systems without tripping any until he stole the artefact, the Markerians went into a panic to try and figure out how he managed to do so. So far they haven't found anything but one of them realised we hadn't been told and thought we should be warned,"_ Allura told them.

"Okay so he has the object he was after. Why isn't he going in the opposite direction of us?" Lance asked the question on everyone's minds. Though they hadn't announced their arrival onto Kinsbo, both planets in the region knew about them being there and it was likely that Lotor had overheard chatter from their communication systems if he was able to hack into them, which both Kinsbo and Markeri had admitted was probable since their systems were based off of the Judellie system.

" _It's very possible he wants to make sure we can't interfere in his plans,"_ Allura answered. _"Whatever his reason is, we need to stop him before he reaches Kinsbo. We cannot allow these people and the surviving Judellians to suffer because Lotor managed to get past us,"_ she said firmly and Shiro watched on the screens as the four other Paladins nodded in agreement.

Feeling a swell of pride at their resolve to save this planet, Shiro nodded himself. "We'll make sure he doesn't," Shiro told Allura. "Get yourself back to the Castle-Ship, Allura. We'll likely need you and Coran for back up. Paladins," Shiro watched as the four pilots looked directly at the camera, awaiting his orders, "let's go put a stop to Lotor's plans before he can try enacting on them," Shiro instructed. All four Paladins nodded once more and Black let loose a roar that had her sisters echoing her.

Grinning at the Lions eagerness for battle, Shiro pulled Black into the air, the other four on her tail and they sped straight up, heading for the black stretch of space they could see above them. Once they broke through the planet's gravitational pull, Shiro and the other pilots lessened the amount of thrust they were using and listened for Allura's instructions on where exactly Lotor was. Shiro had them all fly out in a line, stretched enough so they weren't likely to miss the approaching enemy ship but close enough to form Voltron if it was needed. Lance was the one to spot the ship first and a laser shot fired from Blue's tail made sure the other's were quick to locate him.

Lotor's black ship dodged the blast with ease and Shiro heard Lance's growl of annoyance. It was very rare, especially in the last few months, for one of Lance's shots to miss its target and Shiro had a sinking feeling that this battle would not be won without a lot of work. He felt Black's echoing agreement as they focused on their target. There was a soft glow from the middle of the ship in front of them and Shiro knew it was from the cockpit's lights. He could just make out a dark silhouette sitting in the pilot's seat but nothing more about the person operating the craft.

For several seconds, no one made a move as they watched each other. Shiro could feel the tension building from him and Black and a glance at the screens to his left told him the others were just as wired as he was. Lotor's ship didn't move an inch and neither did the figure in the cockpit, so far as Shiro could see anyway. He saw Lance open his mouth, likely to ask the question all on their minds when suddenly, Lotor's ship started moving straight for them. Shiro fired a tail laser as the ship but just like Lance's previous one had; his shot missed the ship entirely. Every single shot from the rest of the Lions and their pilots missed the craft as well and Shiro snarled silently as it looked like Lotor's ship would manage to slip by them, despite their best efforts.

To his surprise, however, Lotor's ship came to a stop once more but it didn't remain completely still for long. One each wing, a small piece of the material that made up the ship lifted to reveal small barrels and Shiro was quick to recognise them as weapons. Before he could shout a warning, a white energy beam shot straight for Blue and they heard Lance's pained shout as Blue failed to dodge the strike. Black's panic for her sister and – to Shiro's confusion and worry – both Lance and Ed echoed through his bond but he pushed it aside for the moment.

"Lance!" he barked through their comm units as the three Lions who hadn't been hit and whose pilot wasn't currently trying to speak to Lance started firing at Lotor once more.

"Shiro." Lance's voice was shaky and held an edge of pain but Shiro felt relief at hearing it at all. "Whatever source of power he's using for that weapon doesn't just hurt the Lions, Shiro. It hurts who they're bonded to," Lance told him.

"Are you alright?" Shiro asked and Lance nodded as he placed his hands on Blue's controls once more.

"I'm fine," Lance told him. "The weapon causes you to feel a large stab of pain in your head, like a sudden migraine but it disappeared almost immediately," Lance told him as he joined the others in fighting against Lotor. "Shiro –" whatever Lance was about to say was cut off by a cry of pain from Hunk as Yellow was hit.

"Hunk!" Both the Blue and Black pilots yelled in unison but Hunk was quick to inform them he was alright and backed-up Lance's report on what happened when Yellow was hit.

"Guys," Lance said urgently through their comms as a cry of pain – from Pidge this time – echoed down their comms, "we have to dodge these attacks," Lance said, voice stressed.

"No shit, Lance. I don't think any of want to be hit by that energy more than once," Keith snarled through the comms, having just recovered from Red being hit herself. Shiro would've likely reprimanded Keith had he not been hit immediately after Red, having missed seeing the energy beam until it was too late in his worry for his adopted brother and felt the stabbing pain the others had described as a result.

"No, you don't understand," Lance said and something in his voice had Shiro glaring at Keith to stop anything the Red Paladin was going to say. "We're recovering within moments of being hit-" Lance cut himself off as he dodged a shot and returned fire with an ice beam, hoping that would hit but no such luck, "but we're only bonded to the one Lion. Ed's bonded to all of them and he'll be able to feel this through his bonds with them," Lance reminded them and Shiro's stomach sank as he realised what Lance was saying. They'd only suffer when their Lion was hit but Ed would feel the pain every time any of the Lions were hit and there was no way for them to know how that would affect the blonde alchemist.

" _He's already been affected by them. The pain is constant, worsening with each hit. He says it's similar to a migraine and that's what he told the others when the pain started. The Amestrians with him know the real reason for the pain, however,"_ Black said, her voice still pained from the lingering effects of the hit. Despite their best efforts and own shots, both Yellow and Green were hit once more. Blue missed a second hit by the skin of her mechanical teeth as Lance pulled her out of the way just in the nick of time. _"We couldn't get the blocks up in time between us and him after Blue was first hit and we realised what would happen,"_ she told him sadly. _"He wasn't mad though. He just told us to forget about what was happening to him and get back to the fight and win,"_ Black said, some amusement in her voice despite her pain and worry and Shiro felt himself let out a small huff. That certainly sounded like Edward.

From how the others were looking, Shiro knew their Lions were bringing them up to speed on what Ed was going through. Lance didn't look awfully happy but he soon smoothed off that expression and focused between alternating shots from Blue's tail and her ice beam at Lotor's ship, a determined expression in his eyes. Lotor was forced to dodge each one and Shiro let out a small groan of annoyance when one of Lance's shots barely grazed the wing of Lotor's fighter ship. Lotor retaliated, not letting one of Lance's shots go unanswered for and in the process hit the Yellow, Red and Black Lions again, causing their pilot's to yelp in pain as the second hit attacked them through their bond.

" _Paladins, I'm in the Castle-Ship and we're coming up behind you right now. What is going on?"_ Allura's demanding voice come on over their comms and Shiro was quick to respond even as he fired three rounds of laser shots at Lotor that all, of course, missed.

"I have a strong feeling that Lotor is using that trans-reality stone to power his weapons, perhaps even his ship. Whatever he's using as a power source though, it's causing whichever Lion is hit and whoever they are bonded with pain," Shiro informed her quickly. He heard both her and Coran gasp before there were a few minutes of silence on the comms. Shiro wasn't sure what they were doing but he was more focused on dodging the beams and trying to hit Lotor.

Just as Lance managed to land the first shot on the ship, tearing a jagged rip through the skin of the wing and narrowly missing the weapon that sat on it, Allura was back on the comms. _"Coran is going through Honerva's notes on the trans-reality stone right now. He says that it could be utilised as a fuel source but that wouldn't be a good long-term use for it as it destroys engines far too quickly and you need a lot of it. Powering weapons however, that it could do. Honerva was more focused on seeing how it would help her achieve immortality than weapons but it was being studied for its possible weaponry uses at Zarkon's request,"_ Allura told them, obviously repeating whatever Coran was telling her as he read through the Altean's notes. _"The main thing she talks about is how it can open a rift into an alternate world that's made from pure quintessence. She notes that there are creatures, monsters native to that world and are capable of surviving in an environment that would destroy most other lifeforms. She added a notation for herself to try and get one of those creatures so she could study it but I don't think she ever did,"_ Allura told them.

Shiro almost had to bite his tongue to stop himself from demanding that Allura find something in those notes that would help them now. He was stopped from having to do so by being jolted suddenly when something heavy hit Black and a glance showed him Blue going into a sharp dive to avoid a hit that would've gotten him if not for Lance's quick reflexes. He reminded himself to thank the Blue Paladin once they were done with Lotor but for now, he focused on firing shots at the black ship in payback.

" _Honerva goes on to talk about how they might be able to drain the quintessence filled world the stone forms a rift into and drain it to power their weapons but she doesn't go into details about how it's done,"_ Allura told them, voice annoyed with the long-dead Altean.

"I think we're either about to find out or this is going to really hurt us," Hunk's trembling voice said and Shiro's attention went on what Lotor's ship was doing rather than trying to hit it.

Two new hatches on the wings revealed themselves and small black rods rose out. Shiro watched on in confusion, even as he readied Black's tail laser once more and watched on the screens in the corner of his eyes as the other Paladins readied their own Lions. Suddenly, a small crackle of white energy ran up the rods, reminding Shiro vividly of Ed's blue alchemic energy. The crackle dissipated almost instantly but before any of them could take advantage of what seemed to be a weapons malfunction, white energy ran up the rods once more but much stronger. The energy raced off the beams and rose into the air before coming together like magnets, forming a line between the two rods that ran straight across and in front of Lotor's ship. Or that's what Shiro thought it was doing until Black pointed out a third rod that jutted out of the nose of Lotor's craft. The energy sitting on the middle rod started growing into a ball as the energy from the outer rods fed it.

" _Paladins! Stop him!"_ Allura's voice shook the five of them out of their shock and Shiro was quick to issue orders.

"Lance! Hunk! Get around to his other side! Pidge, Keith! Stay with me! Fire everything you've got at those rods!" Shiro ordered and both Blue and Yellow moved to follow their commander's instructions.

The ship nor the figure in the cockpit flinched as Blue and Yellow moved around the ship and Lotor didn't seem to notice or care about the shots raining down on his ship. His craft took multiple blows to the wings but all the pilots were aiming for the small rods, something that was infinitely harder to hit. No one was surprised when Lance was the first to hit one but they were all disappointed when the rod wasn't destroyed by it. Even Allura was surprised, judging by the small gasp they heard over the comms.

The energy ball in the middle of the ship had grown far larger in the time they'd spent trying to hit and was now the size of a beach ball. They continued firing on it but nothing seemed to have affect and Shiro was one shot away from barking down the comms to Allura to find them a solution now as his panic grew. They had no clue what that energy ball would do but Shiro knew it would do nothing good. If it was fired at them it could very well kill them and Shiro had half a mind to order the rest of team out of the area. The only things that stopped him were the fact that he wouldn't be able to take care of Lotor by himself and the fact that he knew none of the Paladins would listen to that order for a minute.

Suddenly, the energy ball morphed into a beam, reaching out past Green, who was the closest, and stopping at a random point nearly ten metres from her. The beam fired continuously and Shiro watched in a frozen trance as a tiny white tear started forming in the middle of empty space. Shiro heard Allura shout something through their comms but he couldn't make it out as he watched the tear in space grow larger until he could see inside it. He swore something moved on the other side of the rift and he fired a laser shot into it on reflex. The other Paladins were still shooting at the rods on the ship and Shiro was forced back into himself when Black shouted at him. Shaking his head, all the surrounding noise Shiro had blocked out came flooding back.

"I'm fine," Shiro told the worried Paladins as he and Black started firing at Lotor's ship once more with a renewed energy but none of the hits seemed to do anything.

" _He's opening the rift!"_ Allura shouted through their comms, her voice shrill with undiluted fear that surprised the Paladins. Nothing had shaken the Altean princess to the point where she couldn't control her panic. _"I'm going to try and stop him with an array. If it does what it's supposed to do, it'll force a shield over what he's exposed so he can't get in there and, most importantly, so nothing can get_ out _,"_ she told them, speaking rapidly.

"Allura, are you sure you can use an array like that?" Shiro couldn't help but ask. Though she'd come a long way since her first attempt with alchemy shortly after Ed and Mustang had left, she was still no where at the level Shiro knew she needed to be for this kind of transmutation.

" _We have no other choice. Either I try and the outcome be what it is or I don't try and spend the rest of my life mourning the destruction and death he will cause if he gets that power and wonder whether I would've succeeded if I had tried,"_ Allura told him and any further argument on Shiro's lips died with her words.

"Don't kill yourself trying to stop him, Allura. Let the transmutation go if it's too much," Shiro said and heard her hum over the comm line.

Nothing happened except for the rift growing steadily bigger, almost to the point where Lotor's ship would've fit in it and the continuous energy blasts. Pidge had started mimicking Lance and using Green's secondary power but the seed bombs never stayed on the ship long enough for Green's plant powers to be used. Lance was still keeping it up with the ice beams, trying to freeze the rods but the energy being used must've been burning hot because any ice that landed was turned to steam almost instantly. Keith didn't bother using Red's flamethrower after noticing that and both Yellow and Black weren't able to use their secondary powers in this kind of fight. Lance had tried using Blue's sonic cannon, hoping the shock waves caused by it would disrupt the energy enough to break the beam but it barely made the energy ripple.

" _I'm ready,"_ came their only warning from Allura before an array formed over the rift.

The glowing blue circle looked almost identical to the wormhole one Allura specialised in using but only at first glance. When Shiro had another look, he could see several different symbols around the edge of array. The strength of the glow had Shiro hoping it meant that Allura would be strong enough to pull it off. He glanced at the cockpit and saw that Lotor was moving for the first time, doing something with his control panel to try and defeat Allura's array. Shiro didn't bother ordering the others to resume firing. He just took another shot and saw four more hit the ship. Lotor didn't flinch at any of the shots, despite the fact that one of them – shot by Pidge if the victorious whoop and 'in your face!' told Shiro anything – tore a hole through his left wing.

Suddenly a gasp came over the comms. _"Something's wrong!"_ Allura said before Shiro or the others could ask. _"Something's happened with the array! It's not doing what it's supposed to do!"_ Allura's voice was strained as she tried to force the array to act how she wanted it to. _"You need to get out of there! Retreat!"_ she ordered, shouting through the comms and Shiro flinched at the panic and fear in her voice.

There was no hesitation as he grabbed Black's controls to guide her away from the failing transmutation but – to his horror and confusion – Black didn't move towards the Castle-Ship like he intended. She moved _away_ from it. Pulling at the controls, Shiro tried making her move towards the safety of the ship but she couldn't, no matter how hard he tried or how much thrust he asked from her. Panicked noises from the other cockpits could be heard over his comms and seen on the screens next to him and dread set in as he realised they were all caught in some kind of gravitational pull being emitted by either the rift or the failed transmutation.

"Allura!" Shiro shouted through the comms.

" _I don't understand! Why are you being dragged back?"_ Allura asked, sounding more like she was talking to herself as she frantically tried to figure it out. A gasp of realisation sounded. _"It's not a shield! I diverted the energy! The energy opens a rift into another dimension! I just shifted what dimension it's forcing open!"_ Allura told them, her voice frantic and apologetic. _"There must be a planet close enough to you that you're caught up in its gravity! You have to fight to get out!"_

"Allura, we can't! It's too strong!" Shiro told her as he felt Black giving it everything she had to trying to get free of the gravitational pull but she was tiring rapidly. Shiro barely noticed the fact that Lotor's ship wasn't spared their fate either and that his engines were blazing with fire as he tried to pull his ship out of the gravity field but it was slowly dragging the fighter craft towards it.

"Guys! Green says there's something familiar about the planet that's pulling us in! She just doesn't know what!" Pidge's voice came on over their comms and Shiro froze at her words.

"Is it friendly?" Shiro asked the youngest Paladin. "Does Green think whatever she's sensing about this planet makes it a planet we'd be safe on?"

"Yes! She's positive of it!" Pidge told him.

" _Shiro…"_ Allura's voice trailed off as she said his name and Shiro knew that she had a good idea what he was thinking.

"Stop fighting it," Shiro ordered and heard the expected protests. "Whatever Green is sensing is telling her it's a safe planet. Hopefully someone there can help us while we're stranded," Shiro said. "The Lions are starting to tire and there's no way we'll be able to get ourselves out of this pull. It's too strong. We can't even form Voltron because we can't get close enough to one another so stop fighting the energy that's got us," Shiro instructed.

" _Shiro, you can't give up!"_ Allura shouted. _"Maybe there's another array I can use or maybe we can get the Castle-Ship closer to do something to help!"_ she suggested but Shiro shook his head.

"You're too tired from using the first array and you'll risk the Castle-Ship if you bring it any closer," Shiro said. "Stay here and study the array you used. See if you can figure where it's taken us if the Lions can't tell you themselves. Try and get us home from this end," Shiro instructed and he heard her sob.

"Tell Dad and Matt that I'll be fine and that I'll be back as soon as we can manage it," Pidge asked, voice soft and saddened and Allura sniffled.

" _I will, Pidge,"_ Allura promised. _"I'll find a way to bring you back. No matter how long it takes, no matter the cost; I will bring you home,"_ she promised, her voice firm and filled with conviction.

"We know you will, Princess. Keep yourselves safe in the meantime," Shiro said, taking in a deep breath as he prepared himself to do what he was about to do.

" _You do the same. I will be most displeased if any of you come home needing time in a pod,"_ Allura informed them, voice thick with emotions and Shiro heard a couple of huffs of laughter.

"We'll keep that in mind," Shiro said before looking at the screens on his left, finding all four Paladins looking back up at him. He gave them the strongest smile he could muster in that moment. "Let go," he ordered softly, removing his hands from Black's control columns and felt her being pulled firmly away from the Castle-Ship.

Shiro watched as the Castle-Ship rapidly grew smaller as the five of them fell into the dimension Allura had accidentally forced the rift Lotor was powering to open. One by one, the Lions of Voltron and their Paladins fell through the white rift alongside the black ship belonging to Lotor. There was a crackle in Shiro's ear as his helmet comms went out of range of the Castle-Ship as the white of the rift took over everything he could see for a few moments. There was a sense of urgency from Black but Shiro couldn't tell why since she wasn't talking to him.

Just as he was about to ask, the white faded in a flash and Black tumbled in the sky, turning so Shiro could now see the ground they were falling to rather than the sky they were falling from. Without his input at the controls, Black suddenly started flying with purpose, aiming for something only she and the other Lions were looking for. Shiro watched as a small town grew closer as they flew rapidly for it but they didn't land in it. Rather, the Lions flew over it, the ground rapidly coming closer and Shiro grabbed for the controls, having realised that Black wasn't slowing down on her own. Pulling at them, he forced her to slow at a rapid pace but it wasn't enough. When they smashed into a sand dune just beyond the desert dwelling, Shiro was wrenched forward in his harness before he slammed back into his pilot's chair and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of what happened in Voltron's universe! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'd love to hear some feedback :D Thank you to those who did comment on the last chapter and let me know what they thought! See you all next week!


	8. Chapter 8

Ed watched as five of the six objects that appeared in a flash of light shortly after the pain caused by Lotor's weapon hitting a Lion had disappeared seemed to fall straight for Ishval. Ed couldn't believe anything he was seeing or feeling as he watched them roar over Ishval before disappearing into the desert to the left of Scar's home. The bond he had with the five Lions had strengthened to the magnitude it had been when he was on the Castle-Ship before surpassing it even in strength. That could only mean one thing; the Lions were in his dimension and had likely flown right past Ishval. Something must've happened to them because he knew that they would've been able to pinpoint his location within a few metres if they were completely okay and his worry overtook his disbelief at what had just happened.

"We have to go help them!" Ed said urgently as he stared in the direction the Lions had disappeared in. He didn't spare a single thought to the sixth object that had emerged from the flash of light with them but had fallen much further into the desert than the Lions had.

Without warning, Ed wrenched himself away from the window, pushed through the people blocking his way and tore out of the room, wrenching the closed door open with enough force it bounced off the wall when it hit it. "Brother!" Al called pointlessly as he chased after him, only a few moments behind him. "Brother, stop!"

"General, we have to stop Ed and come up with a plan if that's who I think it is," Hawkeye whispered urgently and Mustang nodded as the three soldiers left in the room moved rapidly after the two brothers.

"I have a feeling you'll be proven right, Captain," Mustang muttered to her, still stunned by what had just happened in the last five minutes. The BAU showing up out of the blue because Truth wanted Mustang out of jail was somehow less surprising than the five Lions of Voltron and their Paladins appearing from a random flash of light in the sky.

Scar stopped them from getting any further than the living room. "What is going on? Edward and Alphonse tore out of here faster than I'd ever seen either of them move," Scar asked, voice level but demanding as he bodily blocked them from leaving his house.

The only reason Mustang didn't shove the Ishvalen out of his way – consequences be damned – was because he could hear both Ed and Al talking rapidly outside the half-open front door. "Look, Scar," Mustang said, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this. "It's an extremely long, complicated, fantastical, highly classified story and I don't have the time to read you in on it right now," Mustang informed him. "Friends of mine and Fullmetal's have crashed just west of here and we need to go and find them and make sure they're alright," Mustang told him, keeping his voice low in the hope that perhaps Miles and Teman, both of whom were still at the dining table though they were standing, wouldn't overhear him.

Scar's eyes flicked towards the front door where Ed's slightly distressed and worried voice was floating inside, even if his words weren't actually clear enough to be understood and a determined expression settled on his face. "If they crashed in the desert as you say they did, you will need someone who knows the area and the potential dangers," Scar said. "I'll go with you," he told them, leaving no room for argument. "You can explain while we find them." The Ishvalen's red eyes were hard as he met Mustang's gaze and, after a few moments, Mustang nodded.

"We'll be leaving immediately," Mustang informed him and Scar gave a curt nod.

"I had assumed so," he said dryly before he turned to the other two Ishvalens in the room. "I apologise for the impoliteness of my request but I must ask that you head home now. An emergency situation has arisen for the Amestrians that we will explain in more detail for you tomorrow morning," Scar said, a touch of apology in his voice. Neither Miles nor Teman looked happy with the lack of answers but, thankfully, they didn't argue either.

"We expect an explanation in the morning for Edward's behaviour and what this emergency situation is," Teman informed them tersely.

Mustang saw Scar tense slightly and the flame alchemist knew they had just lost a lot of good will with the oldest Ishvalen in the room. He could only hope that they could regain it the next morning. "Of course, Master," Scar said, bowing deeply and bringing Mustang out of his thoughts.

Both Miles and Teman made their way around the table before they headed for the half-open door. The tapping of Teman's cane was enough warning for both Elrics to make them quieten down so they wouldn't accidentally reveal something they shouldn't as Miles and Teman left the house. Teman eyed Ed critically before his expression softened minutely. "I'm glad the pain you were in seems to have left you," Teman said, somehow managing to sound both sincere and suspicious.

Ed winced slightly as the suspicious notes in Teman's voice. "I guess they offered to explain later?" Ed asked, nodding his head towards the remaining Amestrians and Scar as they walked out of the house. Teman nodded. "I'll explain what happened to me tonight when we have that talk," Ed promised and Teman seemed to relax a tiny fraction.

"We'll speak tomorrow," Teman said and Ed nodded. Miles didn't say a word as he joined Teman in walking back to their temporarily shared home but he did give both Ed and Al a warning look uncomfortably close to the ones they'd received from General Armstrong as he walked past them.

Ed forced himself to wait as he watched the two put more distance between themselves and Scar's home. Finally, once they were practically out of sight, Ed spun to face the others. "Shiro's been knocked out and some of the other's have injuries. The Lions haven't transformed yet because I told them to have their pilots change out of their armour first so they didn't come across as hostile and I know none of this is making any sense to you, Scar, but you'll get filled in on the way," Ed said, ending his report by speaking directly to the perplexed Ishvalen. "Let's get going," Ed ordered.

"Fullmetal, wait," Mustang ordered. Ed did stop but it was very, _very_ obvious he was not happy about doing so. "How are you going to be able to find them? Let Scar take the lead," Mustang instructed.

"Mustang, I can track them," Ed informed him in the manner of someone telling another something that should've been obvious as he tapped his left temple out of habit.

Mustang blinked a couple of times in surprise. He had _not_ known Ed could do that. "In that case, lead on."

Ed huffed at the man but did as he said anyway, not bothering to put up any sort of argument since he was practically frothing at the mouth to get going. "They're this way," Ed said, heading behind Scar's home and passing his and Al's borrowed bedroom's window before he started walking in the direction they'd seen the Lions fall.

The bond between Ed and the Lions sang as he started following it, using it to guide him through the maze of homes as the others followed him. A couple of times, they had to double back or weave through a couple of houses to get back on track when Ed misread the direction he was supposed to take but once they made it through the Ishvalen town, there was nothing but open desert for them to navigate. No one had mentioned the couple of wrong turns but Ed was still pissed with himself about it, though that lessened when the Lions were quick to comfort him. Ed noted the lack of Ishvalens around but didn't pay much mind to it.

When they got through the town and over the first sand dune, Ed came to a stop before he faced Scar. "They're a couple of hours' worth of walking away," he said, eyes flicking to the others to see if there would be any objections but when nothing other than determined looks resulted from his words, Ed's eyes found Scar's once more. "We'll explain everything while we walk. It's a very long and very unbelievable story but we do have proof and we will be happy to show you once we're back at yours," Ed told him.

"I will keep an open mind," Scar promised and Ed gave a nod before he started leading them once more through the desert.

"Mustang will start explaining," Ed said. He heard the man in question sigh slightly but he did start talking, starting the recount of their first inter-dimensional visit with why he had been in the hospital that day and looking for the blonde. Ed tuned him out for the most part and focused on the Lions. "Is everything alright? How's Shiro?" Ed asked, using their bonds so he wouldn't disrupt Mustang's talk with Scar.

" _He's awake,"_ Black told him immediately. _"He wasn't out for very long but he does have a sore head. Lance is helping everyone right now with any injuries they got,"_ she told him and Ed gave a small sigh of relief.

"That's great to hear," Ed told her. "If your pilots are in their civilian clothing, you guys can go ahead and shift if you want. We won't be there for a little bit but stay where you are," Ed instructed.

" _Edward, we love you but we're not staying here while you try to find us,"_ Blue informed him. _"The moment everyone can travel, we're gonna start tracking you as quickly as we can so we can smother you sooner,"_ Blue told him, her tone daring him to try and argue with her or the other Lions, all of whom were in complete agreement with Blue's words.

Ed couldn't stop the stupid happy grin that formed on his face at Blue's words or what he was picking up through his bond with the Lions. His excitement at being able to see the Lions and Paladins again after six months of thinking it would probably never happen was almost strangling him. He didn't think he had been this excited when he walked into the holding cells at the Resembool military outpost and realised that most of the BAU team were sharing two cells. Of course, he'd been ecstatic to have the chance to see and spend more time with the BAU members, something he'd thought he'd never do again, but he hadn't been able to speak with the BAU after any of his trips to their dimension or after they returned home from helping them out.

Being able to speak with the Lions and their Paladins after they were sent back to Amestris was something Ed would always be grateful for but there had been days where he'd hated the fact that speaking with them was all he could do. Now though, he would be able to see them again and talk to the Paladins without having the Lions act as their mouthpiece. He knew they would also have to deal with Lotor as soon as possible since there was no way of knowing what had happened to the insane alien when he crashed and he was far too dangerous for them to leave unchecked for longer than necessary, assuming he survived the crash to begin with – which Ed was sure he did since his luck was never that good – but right now, he didn't care. In a couple of hours, he'd be able to see the Lions and his friends and spend however much time with them he could before Allura figured out a way to get them back and his happiness at that was drowning out any worries or fears he had about Lotor and how much time they'll have to deal with him.

Behind him, Ed could hear Mustang continuing the story of how he and Ed first met the BAU team. He was barely past their first actual meeting with them and Ed glanced behind him to see whether he could get a read on what Scar's reaction was. As expected, there was a healthy amount of disbelief but there was also some intrigue and curiousity there as well. Knowing they still had at least an hour's worth of walking ahead of them, Ed decided to pass that time by listening to Mustang speak and wait for a moment where he could smoothly take over the story himself and give his boss a bit of a break from talking.

* * *

"What the hell just happened?" Lance asked as he sat secured in his pilot's chair in Blue. He knew they'd crashed somewhere in what Lance thought was a desert but he couldn't be certain since it was dark after having allowed themselves to be pulled into the dimension Allura accidentally opened in her attempt at stopping Lotor.

" _You are not going to believe me when I tell you where we are,"_ Blue said in response.

"Try me," Lance said as he unclipped his harness and carefully got to his feet. Their landing definitely hadn't been their most graceful one and he'd only been saved from being sent flying into the cockpit glass because of his harness. His right shoulder throbbed hotly and Lance knew he'd jarred it. Thankfully though, it seemed to be his only injury.

" _We're in Amestris. Well,"_ Blue hummed, _"technically I think we're in Ishval,"_ she corrected herself and Lance paused in his stretches to see how badly hurt his shoulder was.

"What? But that's – that's Ed's country," Lance said, stuttering slightly in his stunned disbelief at her words.

" _We know,"_ Blue told him, some amusement at his reaction in her voice. _"What Green recognised as we were fighting against being pulled in was the energy of the alchemy Ed and Mustang use. She just couldn't figure out why it was familiar until we were falling through the rift. We locked onto Ed but he was a lot closer than we thought so we ended up overshooting the town he's in by a bit,"_ Blue explained as Lance tried to wrap his head around the fact that they were in _Amestris_ , a place he thought he would never see in his life despite Pidge and her family working with Allura in whatever spare time they had to try and find a way to open up a portal to Ed's dimension.

"Do the others know?" Lance asked and Blue nodded.

" _Shiro was knocked out when Black landed but she's bringing him up to speed now that he's awake."_ Blue's words jolted Lance into medic-mode.

"Dammit. Let me out, Blue. I need to go check on him," Lance ordered, grabbing the medkit he had in Blue before he stood at top of her closed ramp.

" _Once you're done, you need to come back and get changed into your spare clothes. Ed thinks your armour will give people the wrong idea if they see it,"_ Blue instructed even as she opened her ramp. _"None of us will be shifting until you've all changed,"_ she informed him.

"Got it," Lance told her as he headed down her ramp and sank slightly into the sand Blue had dug into when she landed and looked around.

The four other Lions were all sitting up, like Blue was, but the sand surrounding them showed Lance that – like Blue – they hadn't landed well. However, all five Lions' eyes were light up yellow, indicating that they were awake and functional. "Blue? Have your sisters tell their pilots to get changed into their civvies if they can and to let you know how badly hurt they are, if they're hurt at all. I need to know who to prioritise," Lance instructed and felt her pride in him and agreeance to his orders. Flushing slightly, Lance continued on his path to Black since Shiro was his priority unless Blue told him one of the others was bleeding out or something worse.

" _Black says Shiro only has the head injury,"_ Blue told him as he reached the Black Lion.

"Thanks, beautiful," Lance said before he looked up at the Black Lion. "Can I come in?" he asked, a little nervously. The only Lion he'd spent time in – other than Blue – was Yellow and that was only ever for when he wanted to hang out with Hunk or his best friend needed an extra pair of hands and Pidge was too busy.

Of course, Black didn't verbally answer him since he wasn't bonded to her but she did lower her ramp for him. "Thanks, Black," Lance said, patting the wall running halfway up the ramp once he reached it. He thought he heard her purr but shook his head, knowing it was likely his imagination.

"Lance?" Shiro's voice brought Lance out of his thoughts and he looked up to see his team leader dressed in his civilian clothing. His armour was folded up in the open cabinet in front of him and Shiro had paused mid-movement in placing his helmet on top of it. "What are you doing here?"

Lance lifted his medkit. "Checking on our injured leader," he told him, like it was obvious. Shiro turned a little sheepish and Lance's eyes immediately narrowed as he took it in and something dawned on him. "You didn't ask Black to tell Blue, did you?" Lance asked and, as he expected, Shiro shook his head. "Black," Lance said as he glared at Shiro, "good job in making sure Shiro didn't succeed in avoiding medical attention," he told her, feeling the ship vibrate under his feet as Black 'purred' at the praise. "Shiro," Lance's voice held a growl and Shiro almost ducked his head at the tone, "sit." Lance pointed to the narrow bench that sat against one of Black's walls. His tone informed Shiro that this wasn't a request and that Lance would not be asking as nicely a second time so Shiro did as he was told with no argument.

Shiro felt himself being turned slightly so Lance could see the back of his head where he'd knocked it properly. They sat in mostly silence – or, Shiro sat in silence while Lance kept muttering things under his breath while he checked Shiro's head. Shiro couldn't understand most of the words but there were mutters of 'idiot' and 'why is everyone on this team so against medical help' so Shiro knew they were mostly about him and the team. He almost grinned fondly at how much Lance obviously cared for them when he heard a string of Spanish that he knew likely wasn't flattering to himself but the half-formed smile disappeared when Lance found a tender spot.

"Sorry," Lance immediately said, cutting himself off mid-curse. "Good news is you didn't split your head open so there's no wound to deal with. Here," Shiro heard a crackling noise moments before something cold enough to make him jump was pressed firmly against his head, "hold this against your head while I check your eyes," Lance instructed. The moment Shiro took over holding the cold pack, Lance moved to crouch in front of Shiro and shine the small but powerful torch his medkit contained into Shiro's eyes as he checked them for any sign that Shiro's head injury was worse than he first thought. Satisfied with what he saw, Lance clicked the torch off. "You're fine. The only issue is not telling the member of your team with medical experience that you have a head injury," Lance told him and Shiro flushed sheepishly.

"Sorry, Lance. I'll let you know myself when I next hurt myself if I can," Shiro promised and Lance nodded in satisfaction with the honesty he saw on Shiro's face.

"Good. Because Black has already promised Blue that she'll tell her so Blue can tell me and I will _not_ be impressed if I have to find out from Black unless you physically cannot tell me yourself," Lance informed him and Shiro nodded.

"You have my word," the Black Paladin said and Lance hummed happily as he started packing up his gear.

"Awesome. I've gotta go check up on Hunk now. Yellow told Blue that Hunk's hurt his wrist," Lance told him and Shiro frowned in concern.

"Is he alright?" Shiro asked and Lance shrugged.

"It's probably just a strain but we'll see," Lance said, a hint of concern in his face. "Blue told me they won't be shifting until everyone's out of their uniform and our comms are down. Keep that pack on your head until Black tells you I'm in my spare clothes," Lance instructed, knowing full well he'd likely be the last one dressed and Shiro nodded.

"Yes, boss," Shiro said, a teasing lilt to his voice and Lance chuckled.

"You're the boss. I'm just the medic and the person your Lions will tattle to if you're hurt and don't tell me," Lance told him and Shiro laughed.

"It's a good thing they do and that you listen to Blue when she tells you what they said," Shiro said honestly and grinned when Lance flushed slightly.

"Speaking of them telling us stuff, did Black tell you where we are?" Lance asked and Shiro shook his head, wincing when he accidentally crushed the ice pack harder against the sore spot on his head.

"No, she hasn't said anything to me other than checking I was alright when I woke up," Shiro said and Lance grinned.

"We're in Amestris," Lance revealed, laughing when Shiro's jaw dropped and his normally unflappable leader looked speechless. "According to Blue, Green sensed the energy Ed and Mustang released whenever they performed alchemy. As we fell, the Lions all used their bond with Ed to lock onto him as a guiding beacon but he was much too close to where the rift opened so they ended up overshooting and landed a bit further away than they intended," Lance explained as he grabbed the last of his medkit and zipped it up.

"We're in Amestris? Ed and Mustang's home country?" Shiro asked and Lance nodded before scrunching his face up.

"Actually, Blue thinks we're technically in Ishval, which Ed told us has been removed from Amestris' territory so it's its own country once more but the point is that Ed and Mustang are close by," Lance told him, correcting his original answer.

"I know I told you guys we would land somewhere safe but I didn't even consider that it might've been Amestris," Shiro said. "At least we know for certain now that we're not going to be in any danger from the locals," Shiro said with a wry grin.

"That's true," Lance hummed. "Keep that ice pack in place. I should be finished with everyone soon," Lance told him and Shiro nodded.

Happy that Shiro would do as he was told, Lance left Black, who immediately closed her ramp so Shiro had to stay inside and do as Lance instructed. Shaking his head at the Lion, Lance headed for Yellow, who was sitting a couple dozen metres away from Black and off to Blue's left, meaning Lance had to walk past Blue to get to her. He winked at his Lion as he went past and got a huff of amusement from her in response. Grinning, he got to Yellow and waved up at her. She immediately lowered her ramp and – as he'd done with Black – Lance thanked her once he was able to pat part of her.

"Hunk, my main man, how's your wrist?" Lance asked as he entered Yellow.

As Shiro had been, Hunk was already out of his uniform and in his everyday clothes by the time Lance was in Yellow's cargo hold. Unlike Shiro, Hunk was not surprised to see Lance entering his Lion and he greeted his friend with a warm smile. "It'll be better once the best medic in any dimension has looked at it," Hunk said, nearly chuckling when Lance flushed violently.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Lance told him as he gestured for the bigger teenager to take a seat on the bench.

"Yes it will," Hunk said and Lance laughed.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Lance said, still chuckling as he opened his medkit. "Hold out your injured wrist," Lance instructed, slipping into medic-mode once more. Hunk did as he was told with no complaints and held out his left wrist. Lance held it gently in one hand as he probed the injury with the other, trying to make sure there weren't any obvious breaks since he didn't have a med-scanner like Coran did. Feeling nothing, Lance let go of Hunk's wrist before he dug around into his medkit. "I can't feel any breaks but it could be fractured still. I'll immobilize it as best I can but hopefully Amestris has developed x-ray machines and we can double check," Lance said, a little absentmindedly as he dug through his medkit for the bandages he needed.

"Did you say 'Amestris'?" Hunk asked and Lance nodded before he made a victorious noise and grinned at the roll of bandages he'd found.

"Yeah," Lance verbally answered when Hunk made no response, thinking his best friend hadn't seen his nod. When he looked up mid-way through reaching for Hunk's wrist again, he saw the gaping expression on his face and grinned at Yellow, despite being inside her at the time. "Yellow didn't tell you, did she?" Lance asked, making Hunk jolt slightly.

"No! What the heck, Yellow?!" Hunk glared at the cockpit while Lance ducked his head to try and hide his grin while he wrapped Hunk's wrist tightly.

"Black kept it from Shiro as well but I think that was just her passive-aggressive way of getting back at Shiro for not asking her to tell Blue that he had a head injury and wanted me to look at it," Lance said as he wrapped Hunk's wrist. "So why didn't Yellow tell you?"

"She thought my reaction would be funny," Hunk muttered angrily. "Is Shiro okay?" Hunk's voice changed from irked to worried but his face was all relief when Lance nodded.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's being made to sit in Black with an ice pack where he hit his head until I'm out of my uniform," Lance told him. He tapped the end of the bandage so it would melt into the rest of the material and stay in place until Lance or someone else tapped it again to remove it. "All done," Lance said with a smile. "We'll see if we can get it x-rayed if it doesn't feel any better by the time we're in Ed's home city," Lance told him.

"Thanks, Lance," Hunk said with a happy smile. "I can't believe our luck. I mean, when that array of Allura's didn't do as she thought it would and we started getting sucked into that rift, I thought for sure our kind of luck would make it so we landed on a planet filled with things that wanted to eat our faces and pick their teeth with our bones but we actually managed to land in the one dimension we know we have friends in. Not only that but we landed in their country! I don't think we've ever been that lucky," Hunk finished speaking while Lance chuckled.

"And people say I'm dramatic," Lance laughed, "but I get what you mean. I couldn't believe it when Blue told me where we were but then she explained that Green had felt energy similar to Ed and Mustang's alchemy. She just couldn't identify it at first," Lance repeated and Hunk nodded.

"We haven't seen them for six months and I doubt the Lions' bonds with Ed let them feel when he uses his alchemy so it makes sense she didn't recognise it immediately," Hunk said before he grinned. "It's gonna be so great to see the two of them again. I know Pidge, Matt, Sam and Allura have been trying to figure out a way to open a portal into this dimension but they've been struggling with trying to mix alchemy with machinery similar to a teleduv so we can use it to open dimension portals rather than wormholes. I thought it'd be months, if not years, before we could see Ed and Mustang in person again," Hunk admitted.

Lance loved the fact that Hunk had no doubts whatsoever that the youngest Paladin, her family and Allura would be able to get such a machine running. "Same here," Lance confessed before shrugging his shoulders and wincing when his injured one flared slightly.

Hunk saw the wince and frowned at him. "Are you alright?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I jarred it when we landed. I'm gonna put some speedy-healing goop and numbing spray on it when I'm back in Blue once I'm out of my uniform," Lance told him with a reassuring smile.

"Let me know if you need a hand," Hunk instructed and Lance nodded.

"Might take you up on that but we'll see how I go," Lance said, packing up the last of his medkit. "I gotta check on Keith and Pidge and see if they're definitely okay or if they're hiding injuries from their Lions," Lance told him and Hunk nodded.

"I'm pretty sure it's impossible to hide an injury from your Lion but have fun," Hunk said and Lance grinned.

"You're probably right but you never know with those two," Lance said, grabbing his medkit. "See you in a few minutes." Lance grinned as he waved while walking backwards down Yellow's ramp and Hunk rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for fixing up my wrist!" Hunk called and Lance gave him a thumbs up.

"Any time! Don't do any heavy lifting with that hand though!" Lance instructed as he reached the bottom of Yellow's ramp. He heard Hunk call out a confirmation and grinned, knowing his best friend was the likeliest of the four other Paladins to actually listen to Lance's advice. "Red or Green next?" Lance asked Blue and felt her hum in consideration.

" _Neither of them said their pilots were hurt so I guess go to Red since she's the closest to you right now?"_ Blue suggested and Lance nodded.

"Excellent thinking," he praised as he turned to the right and headed for the Red Lion who was sitting a little away from the group. Once he was there, he was surprised to see Red's ramp already lowered. "Er, has Keith escaped or is this permission for me to go in?" Lance asked Blue as he looked up at the Red Lion apprehensively.

" _They both saw you coming so Keith gave Red permission to lower her ramp,"_ Blue said, her amusement obvious in her voice.

"Oh," was all Lance said in response before he headed up the ramp. "Cheers, Red," he said to the Lion in question, giving her a quick pat when he could. "Alright, Mullet. Do you have any injuries and be honest about it," Lance asked the moment he laid eyes on Keith.

Keith's immediate response was to roll his eyes. "I'm completely fine. A couple of bruises where the harness tightened to hold me in place but that's it and they're not life-threatening so there's no point in wasting your supplies on them," Keith told him.

Lance narrowed his eyes at him, trying to see if he could see any lies in what Keith said. Upon finding none, he nodded. "Okay! In that case, get dressed into your civilian clothes and have Red explain why if she hasn't already. I'm gonna go check on the gremlin before I get out of my uniform," Lance instructed before immediately spinning on his heels and heading down Red's ramp. He heard some muttering from behind him but Red closed her ramp up the moment Lance was off it and he knew she wouldn't let Keith down until he'd followed Lance's instructions.

Green was the furthest from the group, sitting behind Blue but nearly fifty metres from Lance's Lion and Ed wondered why since Green wasn't actually nearest to Blue when they fell. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked through the sand, grumbling at the substance a little as his feet sunk into it. Like Red had been, Green was waiting with her ramp lowered but Lance could see a small figure outside and rolled his eyes when he got close enough to realise that Pidge was checking on Green's systems as best she could.

"Hey, Pidgie," Lance said once he was near her and cackled when she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Lance! Don't scare me like that! And you!" she growled, glaring up at her Lion. "A bit of warning would've been nice!" she snarled. A couple of moments later, she rolled her eyes and muttered something at her Lion that Lance couldn't hear properly. "What's up?" Pidge asked, pushing her glasses up a little more securely on the bridge of her nose.

"Just checking you didn't get any injuries," Lance said and Pidge shook her head.

"Nah, nothing but a couple of bruises from that harness. I mean, I appreciate the fact that it stopped me from going through Green's windshield but like, they could've designed it so it wouldn't bruise the wearer," Pidge complained as her bruises ached lightly.

"Well you and Keith will have something to bitch about together," Lance said, happy that his last two patients didn't end up needing him. "You need to get out of your uniform and into a spare change of clothes. I'm sure Green has already told you where we are and why the change of clothing is necessary," Lance said and Pidge nodded.

"Yeah, she showed me the data of what she sensed and I realised what it was once we were on the ground. I just wanted to make sure she was alright before I got changed," Pidge explained, patting Green's paw.

"Awesome. Well, since you're alright, I'm gonna head back to Blue and get out of my uniform. I don't know what the plan is after that though but I guess it's probably tracking down Ed. Blue did say she and the others locked onto him and that he wasn't too far away," Lance said and Pidge nodded.

"Yeah, they've been talking with him. He and Mustang have already set out with Alphonse, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc. Scar's apparently joined them as well. In fact, he's being brought up to speed on everything as we speak," Pidge revealed. Lance felt Blue's confirming hum in his mind and he grinned.

"I didn't think Ed would sit there and wait for us to turn up," Lance said and Pidge hummed in agreement, her own knowing smile on her face. No matter how he'd acted when he first arrived, everyone on the Castle-Ship knew Ed had become extremely close with the Lions and their pilots well before the fight with Haggar and Zarkon. Nothing much would keep Ed from tracking them down once he realised they were in his dimension. "I'll see you in a few," Lance said, waving at Pidge who nodded before he headed back for Blue.

" _We've told Ed that once everyone is ready to go and we've shifted forms, we'll be tracking him as well so we can get to him quicker rather than wait here for him to find us,"_ Blue told him as Lance walked towards her.

"Awesome. Guess I better get myself organised, huh?" Lance said as he walked a bit faster. He would've jogged if the surface had been just about anything other than sand.

" _We would certainly appreciate it if you did. We're rather anxious to get going,"_ Blue told him and Lance couldn't help but grin at her.

"I'll do my best to be ready as quickly as possible. Open up please?" Lance asked as he drew up next to her front paw. By the time he was around the front of her, her ramp was already lowered and her impatience could be felt through their bond, making Lance's grin widen. " _Dios_ , you're impatient," he chided as he stowed the medkit in its rightful place before he went digging for his spare clothing.

" _Remember you need to treat your shoulder. Do you want me to have Yellow send Hunk over?"_ Blue asked and Lance nearly facepalmed as he realised he'd forgotten about his own injury.

"Yeah, I think I could use him," Lance said as he finished pulling his armour off, leaving him in just his undersuit. He felt Blue hum to show she'd heard him as he pulled the black undersuit off and slipped into his jeans. He didn't bother pulling his shirt on since he needed it off so Hunk could help spread the speedy-healing goop on and apply the numbing spray. While he waited for his best friend, Lance dug through the medkit and grabbed out what he needed.

"Hey, Yellow said you needed me?" Hunk's voice sounded from the top of the ramp and Lance grinned at him.

"Yes, I require your assistance in applying the goop and spray on my shoulder," Lance told him and Hunk rolled his eyes at his friend's antics.

"Okay," Hunk said as he headed for him. "What goes first?" he asked, eyeing up the container of healing goop and spray bottle filled with the numbing solution.

"Numbing first, wait till it's dry then apply the goop," Lance instructed and Hunk gave a nod before he picked up the spray bottle. After applying it, he handed it over to Lance so he could do the front.

"How long does it take to dry?" Hunk asked curiously and Lance shrugged.

"It's pretty absorbent," Lance said. "Maybe thirty seconds?" Lance told him, a little unsure with his estimation.

"That's handy," Hunk said as he waited for the spray to dry. "Are you sure you only need to use these two things? Don't you think you need a sling?"

Lance shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. It didn't hurt while I was walking around. It only did when I forgot it was injured and I shrugged," Lance told him. "With the goop though, it should heal within a day. Actually," Lance said thoughtfully, "I might put Blue's medkit in my bag so we have it. Can you grab Yellow's? I did a new one for her so it should be fully stocked. I doubt we'll need all of them, especially since we'll have access to medicine and hospitals that know how to treat humans here," Lance said.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll make sure I grab it before she shifts," Hunk said. Lance suddenly felt a warm finger on his back. "Okay, you're dry. How much goop?" Hunk asked.

"Er, enough to spread it out over my shoulder?" Lance said before he grabbed the container and scooped some out himself. "This much." He showed Hunk the amount on his finger and saw Hunk nod before the bigger man took the container of goop from him.

Lance waited while Hunk spread the substance over his shoulder, twitching slightly from the feel of it before he got used to it. A few moments later, he felt Hunk pull his hand away. "All done," the Yellow pilot announced.

"Thanks," Lance said as he applied the goop still on his fingers onto the front of his shoulder. Once he was done, he grabbed a nearby rag and wiped the remainder off before he tossed it at Hunk with a 'catch!' as the other teenager's only warning.

"Thanks, man," Hunk said with a slight glare as he wiped his own hand dry while Lance pulled on a shirt. Hunk made a disgusted face. "Won't that stick to the goop?" Hunk asked but Lance shook his head.

"Nope, it's already dry," Lance told him and Hunk raised a surprised brow that Lance didn't notice as he pulled on his jacket. While not the original jacket he was wearing when they found Blue on Earth, it was pretty similar. Coran had actually made it for him when Lance had asked him about sewing supplies the first time he ripped his original jacket. Now that Lance had two of the same looking jackets, he kept the one Coran made for him in Blue for situations where he needed to change into his civilian clothes. "Alright, thanks for the help and I'll see you outside," Lance said and Hunk nodded.

"No worries, man. I'll get Yellow's medkit for you," Hunk told him as he headed for Blue's ramp.

"Thanks, Hunky!" Lance said, making Hunk grin at the pet-name before he disappeared. Lance grabbed up the healing goop and numbing spray and put them back in the medkit before he grabbed his shoes and bag that Coran had also made for him. Sitting down, he yanked on his socks and shoved his feet into his sneakers before he put the medkit in the bag. "Do you think I'll need anything else?" Lance asked Blue as he looked around her.

" _No, I think Ed and the others will have anything else you need,"_ she told him and he nodded.

"Cool. Then I'll get out of you and you can shift," he told her, heading for her ramp.

Lance could feel her excitement and impatience and was suddenly tempted to walk as slowly down the ramp as he could. Her growl told him just how bad an idea that was and he decided to do the wise thing and listen to her. He jumped the last couple of metres and the moment his feet hit the soft sand, her ramp snapped shut and she started glowing. After a moment, he had a flesh and blood Lion standing next to him and he pulled her into a one-armed hug that had her purring.

"Here, Lance!" Hunk called as he jogged down Yellow's ramp, waving the medkit. In pretty much the same amount of time as Blue, Yellow shut her jaw and glowed, blinding Lance who had been a split second too slow in shutting his eyes before the flesh form of the Lion was trotting next to her pilot.

"Thanks, Hunk," Lance said as he took the medkit from him and placed it in his bag, securing it and settling the straps over his good shoulder.

From behind them, another glow lit up the area and a glance once it had died down showed them Pidge and Green coming up from behind them. No sooner had Green transformed, Red was glowing, followed quickly by Black, who had seen Lance exit Blue and had released her own pilot. With all five Lions now in their flesh forms, the Paladins all grouped together to discuss what was going to happen.

"Black said that Ed has been made aware that we're going to start heading in his direction with the Lions leading us. But," Shiro said before anyone could move, "as wonderful as it will be to see Ed and Mustang again, we need to remember that we still have a mission. Lotor was pulled in with us and he landed somewhere else. We need to track him down and deal with him before he can do anything to Amestris or any other country here," Shiro reminded them. He wasn't surprised when a couple of the teenagers looked slightly shocked, having obviously forgotten the whole reason they'd been in the Lions in the first place.

"Ed will probably be able to help us with his tracking array," Lance said and Shiro nodded.

"Most likely he will but remember, he told us that alchemic energy isn't as abundant here as it was for him and Mustang on the ship. He wouldn't be able to cover as much a distance as he did when he looked at Zarkon's ship for us," Shiro reminded them. "It's more likely that we'll need their help tracking rumours down about seeing something large fall from the sky and verifying which ones are accurate or not," Shiro told them and they nodded. Black made an annoyed, impatient noise that was echoed by her sisters and Shiro wasn't the only one grinning. "I think we can discuss everything else while on the move. Let's go see if we can surprise Ed and Mustang," Shiro ordered and his grin only widening when he received nine enthusiastic agreements.

* * *

"Once we paid Truth the prices it agreed to, the BAU team was sent home and we woke up in Granny's backyard. After spending a couple of days in Resembool, we headed back to Central to fill Grumman in on what we had to pay. So yeah, that about wraps up everything I hadn't been able to tell you about in my letters," Ed said, finishing up the final adventure he and Mustang had with someone from another dimension.

Scar didn't say a word for a few minutes and everyone seemed to understand why as they continued trudging along in the sand as they followed Ed to where the Lions and their pilots were. During the almost hour it took for the two of them to talk about their first three encounters with either the BAU, NCIS, or Voltron and the final story about when the BAU paid them a visit – the only story Hawkeye, Havoc and Al were able to help talk about since they'd been able to actually interact with the BAU – Scar hadn't said much. He merely asked a few clarifying questions every now and then before falling silent to listen to the rest of the story once his question had been answered. Ed could feel the Lions getting closer with every step they took and he only managed to stop himself from breaking into a run only because he didn't want the others to end up lost because they couldn't keep up and he wanted to know what Scar's reaction would be to their adventures.

Finally, after nearly five minutes of silence where the only things that happened were the Amestrians exchanging slightly worried glances and their continued walking, Scar spoke. "I know that the five of you are not lying to me. I have always been able to tell when someone isn't being truthful with me and the stories you have just told me are too… outlandish for me to believe they are anything but the truth. However," Scar said, "I can't quite make myself believe what you have told me," he admitted.

"That's alright. I'm pretty sure it took until I showed Mustang's team and Grumman the stuff the BAU sent back with us after our trip to Washington D.C. for them to believe us and even then, I had to show them my tablet for them to believe we had been in outer space with a bunch of mechanical Lions and aliens and whatnot," Ed told him. Both Hawkeye and Havoc nodded at Ed's words.

"As well as we know Ed and General Mustang, he is correct," Hawkeye told Scar. "Until their second trip and we saw the agents through the portal and the items both General Mustang and Edward had been given, we didn't even realise we hadn't truly believed them after their first adventure. Of course, their story about their time with Voltron seemed so bizarre, we didn't believe them until Ed had showed us his proof," Hawkeye said.

"I am relieved to hear I am not the only one who wasn't able to believe them, despite knowing they were telling the truth," Scar said and from the way his shoulders sagged slightly, Ed knew he was being honest as well. "You said you had proof of your Voltron adventure?" Scar asked and Ed nodded, habitually checking his reinforced inner jacket pocket where his tablet always sat if he was away from Gracia's any longer than a night.

"I'd offer to show it to you but we're only a few minutes away from finding the Lions and their pilots and I think they'll probably be proof enough," Ed said. "Of course, once we're back at yours, I'd be happy to show you my tablet if you still want to see it," Ed told him honestly. He kind of wanted to see Scar's reaction to movies so he hoped the Ishvalen would take him up on the offer.

"I would appreciate that," Scar said with a slight nod and Ed internally whooped in victory.

"Awesome," Ed said, much more level than he felt inside. The look Al gave him told Ed he wasn't hiding it as well as he thought but since he and Al were leading the group and no one else could see his face, Ed didn't care.

Ed didn't speak again for a few minutes as they continued walking. Scar was asking questions quietly behind them but Mustang and the others were able to field them with no problems while Ed concentrated on his bond with the Lions. It was fast becoming almost overwhelming in how strong it was and Ed knew it was because of how quickly the distance between them had been reduced. He was adjusting to it almost as quickly as it was strengthening but it was still messing with his ability to track them a little. Finally, after climbing and descending another sand dune, Ed came to a stop rather than climbing the next one.

"What's going on?" Mustang asked and Ed rolled his eyes.

"They're close enough that I don't need to track them," Ed told him as he looked around, trying to see if he could make anything out in the darkness. The moon was half-full, which helped them in seeing a little but it wasn't a great source of light.

Before Ed could ask if anyone had a torch or something flammable for Mustang to burn, his senses flared and he spun on his heels to face the rapidly approaching threat. His eyes widened – first in delight then wonder then realisation – as he spotted the dark shadow sliding and running down the sand dune they would've been climbing had Ed not stopped. Ed threw his hands out in an attempt to stop the figure but it was too late. The dark shadow was at the bottom of the dune and had collided with Ed before he could so much as utter a word, sending the two of them sprawling into the sand. The five people with him had both moved when the dark figure hurtled towards them and he could see them moving into their fighting stances – both Hawkeye and Havoc nearly drawing their guns while Al and Scar moved into defensive positions – until they relaxed out of them at a wave from Mustang, who was watching the scene in front of him with amusement.

"Is it always going to be like this with you?" Ed asked once he managed to shift enough so he wasn't being suffocated by the weight of the figure on top of him. Grinning madly, he looked up into the amused and ecstatic eyes above him.

" _Pretty much,"_ confirmed the Yellow Lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left me a comment on the last chapter! It made my week seeing all of those comments! I do apologise for the cliffhanger I left you on last week and I hope this chapter makes up for it a bit! I'd love to know your thoughts and hopefully I'll see you all next week!


	9. Chapter 9

"Yellow!" Hunk's yell caught the attention of everyone else as they approached the bottom of another sand dune. Lance hadn't complained yet about them but he was pretty close to it. As much as he loved beach sand, he didn't like desert sand and he certainly didn't like climbing a million steep sand dunes. He was pretty sure his sneakers would have more sand in them than desert did by the time he pulled them off. "Where are you going?!"

The four other Lions all had their ears perked forward and it was obvious they were holding themselves back from racing after their sister but Lance couldn't figure out why until Blue decided to be nice and clue him in. _"Ed's on the other side of this dune and Yellow wants to tackle him,"_ Blue told him giddily. Lance glanced at everyone else and – despite the lackluster light provided by the moon – could tell they'd just been told something similar.

An unspoken agreement between them had them heading up the sand dune as quickly as they could, something that proved to be not very quick considering the sand was very loose and they'd learned several dunes back that running up them was not only a waste of energy but was also more likely to result in them tripping and falling back down the dune. As they crested the dune, Lance's eyes were already scanning the bottom of it. Yellow's tracks were easy to spot even in the barely visible light so he followed them and was soon able to see several figures below. One of them looked massive but he was pretty quickly able to figure out that Yellow had done as she wanted and was likely smothering Ed as they spoke.

"Guess your Lion got the first hug," Lance said to Hunk, turning slightly so he could nudge him with an elbow and causing the bigger man to grin madly.

"I think she fully planned to the moment she realised where we had crashed," Hunk told him, his grin being matched by Lance.

"Think we can beat the Lions to the second hug?" Lance asked only to feel something big brush past him. When he turned, he spotted the four remaining Lions all sliding down the dune in a controlled manner, eyes all fixated on their sister and favourite alchemist.

"I think that's a 'no'," Hunk said with a laugh. "Come on, let's get down there and rescue Ed before he's smothered," Hunk said as he started carefully picking his way down the dune, obviously not wanting to slip and tumble down it in front of everyone. Lance chuckled lightly as he and the others followed Hunk down the dune and towards their friends.

* * *

"Are you gonna let me up?" Ed asked the Yellow Lion who was still laying on top of him as much as she possibly could without risking his life.

" _No, I don't think I will,"_ she told him after humming contemplatively for a moment.

"You have to let me up at some stage," Ed told her but she didn't seem to be moved by his argument. "What if you let me up so I can give you a proper hug?" Ed asked and this time, Yellow seemed to be listening.

" _Alright,"_ she said, letting him keep an arm around her neck so that he could be pulled up as she sat up on her haunches.

Ed paid no attention to the people around him as he got to his feet before keeping his word and wrapping both arms around Yellow's neck as he hugged her fiercely. "It's so good seeing you again," Ed told her. Though he was speaking through their bond, his voice was barely above a whisper and it was strangled with emotion at that.

" _You probably have some idea thanks to the bond but I don't think it's fully telling you just how happy we are that this is the dimension Allura managed to accidentally send us to,"_ Yellow told him, nuzzling his cheek and neck as she wrapped a leg around his waist, resting her massive paw on his back as she returned the hug just as tightly as she could. _"My sisters are heading down the sand dune to show you just how much they missed you as well,"_ Yellow warned with a chuckle a few moments later.

"Thanks for the heads up," Ed said with a slight laugh as he felt Yellow reluctantly release him from her hug. He didn't manage to move more than a step away from her before another Lion was shoving Yellow out of the way and pulling Ed into a hug just as fierce as Yellow's was, despite her smaller size. "Hi, Green," Ed said happily as he returned the hug the Green Lion was trying to strangle him with.

" _Hi, Ed! We missed you,"_ she told him as she nudged his cheek with her nose, making him look at her. _"We even missed Mustang but we will never admit to it if you told him,"_ she informed him and he laughed.

"I'm sure he'll get over it if I didn't tell him," Ed said with a grin as he pulled away from Green when Blue made an impatient noise from behind her sister. Ed huffed a breath of laughter when Green rolled her eyes but the smallest Lion moved away from Ed after nudging his cheek one more time so her sister could say hello.

" _Hello, cub,"_ Blue said as she mimicked her two sisters and pulled Ed into a hug that the blonde was more than willing to reciprocate, even if this was the third time in as many minutes that he'd been hugged.

"Hello, Blue," Ed said as he felt her pull him in a little closer. He found himself grateful that the desert was so cool at night because he felt like he would've overheated from the three Lions' worth of fur being near his face. This time, Ed was able to peer over the Lion and grinned when he saw both Yellow and Green sitting between himself and Mustang, staring at the man. They weren't doing anything more but Mustang still looked as unnerved as Ed had ever seen him, the first time he met Blue and the others aside. Hawkeye looked torn between amused – knowing just what the Lions thought of her commander – and concerned for Mustang's safety. Havoc and Al just looked amused while Scar's eyes never left Ed, obviously taking his cues from the occupied blonde.

" _You know full well they're doing that because it amuses them,"_ Blue said when she realised where his attention was and Ed's grin widened.

"They'll find no judgement from me," Ed told her with a chuckle.

Blue pulled him in tighter for a moment before she let him go and, with a wink, joined Yellow and Green while Red took her place. To Ed's surprise, Red also pulled him for a hug. _"Shut up. I missed you,"_ Red grumbled when she felt his surprise and Ed chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"I missed you too," Ed assured her, pulling the Red Lion in for a hug just as firmly as he'd hugged the other Lions. "I haven't heard any bitching from any of you about the crash and you guys seemed to have shifted with no problems so I'm assuming everything's all good?" Ed asked and Red nodded against his cheek.

" _We came out of the rift too close to Ishval. We couldn't land there without risking damage to us or the town with how fast we were going so we had to land where we did,"_ Red told him and Ed allowed himself to release a breath of relief into her neck.

"That is a massive relief," Ed admitted. "I knew you guys could track me within a few metres of where I was so I thought something had happened to hurt you when you landed out here," Ed told her and Red couldn't help it when she knocked her forehead softly against Ed's when she felt the concern he'd been feeling for them.

" _If you don't let me hug him, Red, I will be very angry,"_ Black's voice sounded in Ed's mind, a little fainter than it would've if she had been talking to him directly and he knew she'd only allowed him to hear the threat because she hoped he would find it amusing.

"I think it'd be in your best interest to listen to her," Ed told Red, a light laughter in his voice that only grew into real laughter when Red growled grumpily as she released Ed and stepped out the way of Black.

Before the largest of the Lions managed to nearly knock Ed back to the ground with the force of her hug, Ed saw Red join her sisters but rather than sit quietly and stare at Mustang, she went one step further and loosed a low, rumbling growl that had Mustang glaring at her while Hawkeye levelled her with a look she normally used on Ed when she felt like he was toeing the line between being the level of insubordinate she deemed acceptable and too insubordinate. To Ed's surprise, the growling stopped but Red still glared at Mustang.

" _Hello, young alchemist,"_ Black said, using her nickname for him as she did her best to give Ed a hug close enough to how a human would hug him by draping one leg over his automail shoulder and wrapping the other around his back.

"At least there's no wanna-be mystical greeting this time," Ed said as he wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tighter than he had the others. Despite how close he was to all the Lions, Black would always be the first Lion he had formed a bond with and she was the Lion who had not only listened as he confessed his biggest demons but she had comforted him and never once held what he thought were his biggest failures against him.

Black huffed out some laughter. _"We thought Yellow tackling you again would be enough repetition,"_ Black told him and Ed let out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah, that was definitely more than enough," Ed said. The grin on his face that had formed when he recognised his 'attacker' hadn't faded in the slightest since that moment and he knew his cheeks and jaw would be aching once he managed to wipe it off his face. "I'm a little hurt there wasn't a mad rush from the lot of you to see who would get to greet me first," Ed said, a teasing note in his voice.

" _We want you alive, not squished under our combined weight,"_ Black told him. _"Besides, Yellow played dirty and took off without warning, telling us her plan as she climbed the sand dune,"_ Black admitted and Ed cackled. He heard a pleased chuff coming from Yellow and his laughter increased.

"Alright, Black. I think it's our turn." Shiro's voice sounded both amused and excited in a way Ed didn't think he could remember the Black Paladin sounding before.

Ed opened his left eye – the one that was least likely to be attacked by Black's hair – and took in the sight of the five Paladins waiting, most of them impatiently, for their turn to greet the blonde alchemist. Ed wondered if the reason Black hadn't been shoved aside – much like Yellow had been when Green wanted her turn – was because the Paladins who weren't bonded to her were worried about repercussions if they tried. There was a hint of something that wasn't quite malicious but was slightly threatening thrumming through Ed's bond with Black that told him that if the Paladins had been worried about what Black would've done had they tried shoving past her but had done so anyway, their fears would've been proven right.

"Why don't you see if you can stop your sisters from accidentally setting Miss Riza off?" Ed suggested, using his bond with Black since there was no way he would ever be heard trying to come to Mustang's aid. "I don't think I want to see what her bullets will do to you guys if one of you accidentally acts a little too aggressive towards him. She is pretty dedicated to her job," Ed told her and Black heaved a sigh.

" _Fine but only because you asked nicely,"_ Black told him with a huff.

Black didn't let go of him immediately though and it wasn't until someone – Ed suspected Lance – made an impatient noise that Black released Ed from her hug. Even after she'd dropped back down to all four legs, she bumped her forehead against Ed's, staying in that position for a heartbeat or two before she backed up enough for him to catch her wink before she moved the short distance to her sisters. Ed didn't bother hiding his eyeroll when Black joined them in staring Mustang down – making the Flame Alchemist almost throw his hands up in exasperation – but Ed did hear her warn her sisters to not push it with Hawkeye so he decided she'd done as he asked. All thoughts of what Black and the other Lions were doing was lost when he was almost sent stumbling backwards by the force of the hug Lance grabbed him in.

"Hi, Lance," Ed gasped out as he struggled to breath from how tightly Lance was clinging onto him. His friend seemed to realise why he was gasping since his grip loosened but before either of them could say anything more, a larger frame grabbed them both and hauled them into a group hug, making both smaller teenagers yelp then laugh when Hunk physically lifted them off their feet in his enthusiasm. "Hi, Hunk," Ed laughed as he and Lance were placed back on their own feet.

"Hey, Ed," Hunk said, his grin obvious even if Ed couldn't see his face. "Not sure if you noticed but we missed you," Hunk told him and Ed and Lance both laughed.

"Nah, I couldn't tell," Ed told the Yellow Paladin as seriously as he could manage, which wasn't overly successful considering he was still laughing from a mixture of the hug he was getting and the giddiness he felt at having all of the Lions and their pilots in Amestris. When Hunk and – after a few moments _and_ Hunk pulling him off – Lance let go of Ed, the blonde gestured to where their Lions still sat. "You gonna do anything about that? They're putting Miss Riza and Scar on edge," Ed said and Lance sighed.

"I suppose we can _try_ and get them to stop," Lance told him, not looking overly enthusiastic or optimistic about their chances at getting the Lions to stop whatever they were trying to achieve.

"Come on, man. We don't want them to get hurt because someone gets paranoid about them," Hunk said, grabbing Lance by the elbow and physically dragging him towards the Lions.

Ed shook his head as he watched the two of them attempt to stop Yellow and Blue, going so far as to try and pull them away – something that was never going to be successful considering the vastly huge weight and height advantage the Lions had on the boys. "What do you think they're trying to achieve?" Pidge's voice had Ed turning to look to his right as the Green Paladin came to stand next to him and he shrugged.

"Honestly, no clue. I have a feeling, however, that they're doing this just to put Mustang on edge," Ed confided in her. The grin she gave in response told Ed that she either knew why the Lions were doing what they were doing and Ed was right or she didn't know for certain but agreed with Ed's feeling.

"You're probably right," Pidge said with a mischievous grin that Ed didn't think boded well for any of them.

"Are you gonna try and help Lance and Hunk?" Ed asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Pidge shook her head, grin growing wider and proving Ed right. "No, I'm actively encouraging this," she told the blonde, who let out a small bark of laughter as he held his fist up for her to bump, which she readily did. "Also, I want to check on your tablet since we're stuck here for however long it takes my dad and brother to help Allura bring us back," Pidge informed him, leaving no room for argument in her tone.

"Can you?" Ed asked, frowning in concern. "I mean, we don't have the technology here for you to do much of anything with it," he clarified when she shot him an incredulous look, obviously having assumed he was questioning her abilities rather than her lack of tools.

Her expression shifted from one of offence to one of understanding before she shifted the backpack Ed hadn't even noticed was sitting off one of her shoulders. "I have my laptop with me," she told him. "I always do on a mission, just in case I need it when we're hacking Galran ships," Pidge explained when she noticed Ed's shocked expression.

"In that case, you are more than welcome to check my tablet," Ed told her, "once we're in Amestris again," Ed said before she could try and demand he hand it over to her immediately. From the slightly irritated look that flashed on her face, she'd been just about to do that.

"Fine," she pouted. "I'm gonna stop those two from trying to stop the Lions while you talk to Keith and Shiro," she told him. "Keith missed you. Don't let his stunted social skills make you think otherwise," Pidge informed him as though she was telling him a trade secret, though she spoke loudly enough for Keith and Shiro to hear her. The former spluttered out a protest while the latter was forcing himself to look at Pidge in reprimand. Ed figured that Pidge would've looked just as uncaring even if Shiro had managed to erase all of his amusement.

Flipping them the peace sign, Pidge headed for the Lions to do exactly what she said she was going to do and Ed turned to the final two members of Voltron he hadn't had the chance to speak with yet. Keith was still glaring at Pidge until Shiro nudged his shoulder, pushing him lightly towards Ed, who had been moving the couple of feet it would've taken to be next to them. Keith's eyes lit up when he saw Ed and he offered the blonde a smile that Ed returned.

"Hey, Keith," Ed greeted the Red Paladin a little awkwardly. Unlike the other Paladins, Keith was not a big fan of emotion and touching, which Ed could relate with all too well but that did mean that Ed was in a rather unsure position of not knowing how to greet Keith to show him that he had missed him as much as the others without making him uncomfortable either.

"Hey, Ed," Keith said back, raising his fist to punch Ed in the shoulder. However, he hesitated for a moment, making Ed start to frown as he wondered what was wrong before he ended up hitting the blonde in the left shoulder. "It's good to see you. I think the Lions and everyone else were starting to get impatient about how long it's been taking the Holts and Allura to come up with their dimension-jumping machine and making it work," Keith told him.

Keith's slight flush and his talking slightly faster than normal told Ed that he was likely trying to cover something up or hoping Ed didn't notice something and realisation dawned on the blonde. "You totally went to hit me in the right arm, didn't you?" Ed asked and Keith's flush darkened slightly. "Good thing you didn't cuz that would've hurt," Ed said with a laugh. "Al still has to stop himself from doing it," Ed told him, grinning at the darkened figure of his brother. He knew Al would be able to sense he was being talked about and would be glaring at them and the thought made Ed grin slightly wider. "But it's good seeing you as well," Ed told him, mimicking his actions and punching Keith lightly in his shoulder, though Ed was kind enough to use his left hand to do so.

"Why don't you go and see if you can stop Pidge from stopping the boys stop the Lions, Keith?" Shiro requested, looking both fond and exasperated as Hunk held Pidge back while Lance tried to convince the Lions to stop trying to stir Mustang up. Pidge was making Hunk's job a little harder as she squirmed to try and escape his grip – something Hunk was doing a remarkable job preventing – while speaking words of encouragement to the Lions. Ed almost cackled when Hunk put his hand over Pidge's mouth in an effort to quiet her, only to pull it back with a disgusted shriek when she licked it. Pidge's smug grin didn't leave her face as she continued to support the Lions in their endeavor. "Please?" Shiro added, a touch of begging to his voice when Green shifted slightly and both Hawkeye and Scar made aborted attack moves.

"Yeah, I'll try," Keith said, looking as confident in his chances of success as both Hunk and Lance had when Ed had asked them to corral the Lions. Keith clapped Ed on the right shoulder, grinned at him before heading over to his teammates and the Lions with an expression similar to Hawkeye's whenever Mustang gave her a direct order.

"Think he'll have any luck?" Ed asked as he watched Keith beeline straight for Red.

"No chance," Shiro said immediately. "I'm gonna have to issues orders," he told the blonde, who turned to grin at him only to squeak in shock (something Ed would forever deny happened) when Shiro pulled him in tight for a hug. "It's good to see you again, kiddo," Shiro whispered as Ed wrapped his arms around Shiro in return.

"You too," Ed whispered back, a little ashamed of how his voice cracked with emotion. "I couldn't believe my luck when I sensed the Lions falling into our world after I felt their panic at having been caught in the pull when Miss Allura's array failed," Ed told him.

"We couldn't believe ours when the Lions told us where we'd landed," Shiro told him with an emotion-filled chuckle. "Of course, we didn't know until we'd landed and even then Black didn't tell me. Lance did because Black was annoyed at me because I hadn't asked her to tell Blue I was injured so Blue could pass the message onto Lance," Shiro revealed, still a little irritated his Lion had done that but it caused Ed to laugh so Shiro figured it was worth it.

"That sounds like her," Ed said, grinning when Black broke off her stare-off with Mustang to wink at him before going right back to it, despite Lance's efforts to keep her from doing so.

"You been doing alright?" Shiro asked, not letting go of the blonde completely but pushing him back far enough so he could see his face as best he could to hopefully pick up on any lies.

"The Lions have been keeping you up to date on everything, haven't they?" Ed asked, frowning slightly at Shiro's question.

"When you've told them they can if they haven't been speaking for us," Shiro told him, "but I'm asking because you're someone I care about and you have a tendency to hide things from everyone, including the Lions," Shiro told him.

"I haven't tried to hide anything from the Lions for ages," Ed protested.

"You literally tried to pass off that gash to your side from six weeks ago when you went after that rogue alchemist as a small cut," Shiro reminded him, getting a sheepish grin from Ed, "and stop trying to deflect the question," Shiro said, brow raising knowingly, not that Ed could see it due to lack of light.

Ed rolled his eyes but nodded. "I've been doing better," he told Shiro honestly. He could feel the Black Paladin's eyes searching his face, trying to find any hint of a lie in what light the half-moon was giving them.

Finally, after a couple of moment, Shiro nodded. "I'm glad," he told Ed, squeezing his shoulders gently. "Now let's rescue General Mustang from the Lions," he said and Ed groaned.

"Do we have to?" Ed muttered childishly as Shiro led him forward, one hand on his shoulder to steer him as they walked.

"Yes," was all Shiro said in response and Ed sighed.

"Fine," Ed huffed as they got to the Lions. "Do you lot wanna knock that off so we can get introductions over and done with so we can get out of this desert before sunup?" Ed asked, standing in front of the five Lions and doing his best to look reprimanding.

The effect was immediate, despite his failure at keeping his amusement out of his voice and off his face. All five Lions stood up and headed for Ed, seemingly forgetting about Mustang and the others as they crowded him. Ed thought he heard Al mutter something to Mustang about the man not lying but he was distracted when Blue butted her head against his flesh shoulder. Lance looked completely outraged – though Ed knew he was just amused, thanks to Blue telling him so – that the Lions had listened to Ed rather than him. Hunk heaved a sigh of relief as he released Pidge while Keith stood there, looking mildly unimpressed with everything. Ed caught sight of Shiro's grin as the Black Paladin greeted Mustang.

"General Mustang. It's good seeing you again although I do wish we had managed to do so without bringing a crazed alien prince along with us," Shiro said as he offered his hand for Mustang to shake.

"It's good to see you as well, Shiro," Mustang told him. "While we would have also preferred you didn't bring him with you, Amestris will aid you in helping locate and – should you require it – deal with him," Mustang said. "After all, from what little Fullmetal has been able to pass along from the Lions, it seems like this Lotor will most likely become a threat to our country, as well as the likes of Ishval and perhaps Xing, depending on where his ship landed, and we will not sit idly by while you deal with him," Mustang informed him.

"I think we'd appreciate that," Shiro said with a grin. "Out of curiousity, how much did Ed tell you?" Shiro asked.

"The Lions only told me about how old he was, what he was up to and who his parents were. The rest of what I was told was mainly the real reasons behind the Galrans and Alteans having no home planets," Ed piped up as he scratched Green between the ears.

Shiro gave him a nod. "I think it would be best if we spoke as we walked," Shiro said. "It is a bit of a long story and, like Ed said, I don't think we'd want to be in the middle of the desert when the sun is up."

"You'd be correct," Scar said, speaking for the first time since Yellow had tackled Ed to the ground. "We aren't dressed or prepared for a trek back to Ishval from this distance during the day," he told them.

"So let's get introductions out of the way and get a move on," Ed suggested as he wriggled out of the mass of Lions with far more difficulty than he thought truly should've been needed. "Go and sit by your pilots until people know who you are," Ed instructed the Lions who looked a moment away from trapping him once more. Ed rolled his eyes when he heard five huffs of annoyance as the Lions complied but he was soon smirking when he got close enough to Al to see his brother's stunned expression. "It's not like you didn't know they existed," Ed said teasingly as he nudged Al gently.

"Yeah but there is a significant difference to seeing photos and videos of them and seeing them in real life, Brother," Al told him quietly, eyes never leaving the Lions as they finished joining their pilots.

"Wait till you see them in mechanical form," Ed told him and Al nodded.

"We apologise for not doing so immediately but allow me to introduce myself and my team," Shiro said, speaking to Al, Scar, Hawkeye and Havoc. "I'm Takashi Shirogane, though everyone just calls me Shiro. Next to me is my Lion, Black," Shiro said, ruffling Black's ears affectionately. "On my left is Keith Kogane and his Lion, Red," Shiro said, gesturing to the pair. Keith offered a half-hearted wave when Red nudged him pointedly. "Next to them is Lance McClain and Blue." Lance gave a far more enthusiastic and cockier wave that had Blue and Ed rolling their eyes in tandem. "Next to them in Hunk Garett and Yellow." Hunk's wave was in between Keith's and Lance's for level of enthusiasm. "And finally, we have Katie Holt – though she prefers to be called Pidge – and her Lion, Green."

Rather than wave like the others had done, Pidge gave a nod and a simple "what's up?" that had Green sighing in Ed's mind and the blonde grinning at the smirk he had no doubts was on Pidge's face right now.

"Together we are an elite unit known as 'Voltron'. I don't know how much Ed and General Mustang have told you –" Shiro said and Ed interjected.

"They know everything. All of them were brought up to speed," Ed told him and Shiro nodded in thanks.

"In that case," Shiro said before anyone – namely Al – could reprimand Ed for interrupting, "we are an elite team known as Voltron. We function primarily in our dimension, fighting to keep the universe safe from those who would see it destroyed or completely under their power. Voltron is a peacekeeping mech formed from five mechanical Lion-shaped spaceships that come together when needed to form one giant machine to take out threats. When not on missions or not needed in their mechanical forms, our Lions can shift into the flesh forms you see in front of you, thanks to Ed puzzling out an array their creator hadn't managed to and gifting them that ability." Ed immediately flushed at the praise and he had never been more grateful in his life for the darkness – except maybe for when they went up against Pride in Kanama. The Lions cooing in his mind only made his flush worse and he silently growled at them to knock it off.

"Let me introduce the ten of you to those of us you don't know," Mustang said after waiting a moment to see if Ed was going to. "To my right is Captain Riza Hawkeye and to my immediate left is 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc," Mustang said, gesturing to them both in turn. Hawkeye and Havoc nodded their heads but – perhaps most importantly – Hawkeye released her cautious hold on her holstered weapon in response to the introductions. "Next to Lieutenant Havoc is Scar, one of the Ishvalen elders and a friend of Fullmetal's." Scar gave a small nod as his red eyes scanned the group. "Finally, next to Fullmetal is his brother, Alphonse Elric," Mustang said, gesturing to Al, who in turn lifted his hand up to wave nervously at them all.

"It's really great meeting all of you in person," Shiro said genuinely. "We've heard a lot about you all during the last six months," Shiro told them.

"The same for us," Hawkeye said, her tone polite but far friendlier than it usually was with strangers. "Despite having met some of General Mustang's and Edward's friend in recent months, I never thought another lot would appear in our country," she admitted.

"We didn't think we'd be able to dimension jump for another few months as yet so it was just as much a shock for us as I believe it was for you," Shiro told her sympathetically.

"Yeah, it was a bit of a shock when the Chief's eyes glowed different colours before he ordered us to look out the window," Havoc drawled but his words didn't capture the attention of just Voltron.

"My eyes what?" Ed asked, looking between Havoc, Mustang, Voltron and Al in confusion.

"They glowed different colours," Al told him, repeating what Havoc had said. "I don't know what happened but it was after the pain had left you. You straightened up slightly and your eyes glowed the same colours as the names of the Lions before you told us to look out the window, just as Havoc said," Al explained but Ed's confusion didn't clear.

" _It likely happened when we locked onto you, cub,"_ Black said suddenly. _"We never had to do so while you were with us so no one would've known,"_ she told him.

"Oh, okay," Ed said in response, happy there wasn't anything more to his eyes suddenly glowing five different colours than that. Sensing the looks he was being given, he sighed before repeating what Black had just told him.

"That makes sense," Pidge said. "They'd have to lock on to you, so to speak, much the same we do when we're targeting something. On our end, the target lights up on a screen far more brightly than the surrounding objects. I guess the same happens to the target the Lions are trying to reach," she theorised.

"So if Ed's eyes glow a random colour when he's not using his tracking array, it means the Lion corresponding to that colour is trying to find him?" Havoc asked and Pidge shrugged.

"Best theory I've got," she told him, "but it would explain why his eyes glowed when they did. Green figured out what the energy she was sensing was as we fell through the rift and she told the others immediately. Black ordered her and the others to lock on to Ed as soon as she was told by Green that we'd be landing in your world," Pidge said.

"I apologise but I must insist we get going," Scar said, interrupting anyone who may have been about to respond to Pidge. "We still have an hour or so worth of walking ahead of us and I'm sure I am not the only one who would like to know more about this potential threat to our countries," he said. His voice was level but Ed could hear the undercurrent of concern a mile away.

"No, that's a good idea," Shiro said. "Like I told you before, I'm happy to discuss everything in detail while we walk," he reiterated.

"I'll lead the way back," Scar said, leaving no room for arguments – not that there would be any since no one else knew this country like he did and Ed couldn't lead them back since what he had been tracking was with them now.

"Thank you, Scar," Ed, Shiro and Mustang said at the same time, unknowingly causing almost everyone to grin while Scar simply nodded.

As Ed and Al moved to follow everyone, Ed found himself being nudged from behind. He turned to see Black walking beside him, the side Al wasn't currently on and Ed rolled his eyes at her before he scratched her behind the ears. Al looked a little worried, especially when the rest of the Lions and their Paladins all suddenly converged on Ed and Al so they could walk with the blonde they did know and talk with him while they walked once everyone was brought up to speed about Lotor and the risks he posed. Ed noticed that there was something off with his little brother, like there was something bothering him or some issue Ed didn't know about but he decided he'd talk to Al later about it, not wanting to corner his brother in front of people who were practically strangers to him. So, Ed left it for the moment and chose to listen to the members of Voltron as they started repeating the information about Daibazaal and Altea that Ed had already been told about while he allowed himself to just revel in the true happiness he felt, something he hadn't felt in a long time, as they walked through the Ishvalen desert.

* * *

The walk back to Ishval took just over an hour, shorter than it had taken for Ed to lead them to where they met Voltron but Ed figured it was because Scar actually knew where he was going whereas Ed was trying to track a moving target in an area he had zero knowledge of. During the walk, while he was listening to the Paladins report everything that had happened to lead up to them being sent to Amestris, Ed continued to keep an eye on Al but his brother seemed to be acting the way he'd expect him to in front of people he only knew through stories from someone else. He was perfectly polite, asked questions with no hesitation and he laughed when one of them said something funny or stupid. However, despite Al's best efforts, Ed knew his brother and he knew there was still something wrong; he just couldn't figure it out.

Just before they reached Ishval, conversation turned from Lotor and what risks he posed to sleeping arrangements and what they were going to tell the Ishvalens in the morning. Hiding five strangers might've been easier if they weren't accompanied by five Lions the same height as them so they'd have to come up with some kind of cover story since Ed and Mustang had immediately vetoed telling everyone the truth when Scar suggested it. Scar hadn't been too happy about being asked to be compliant in their lies but Ed and Mustang had explained that they just couldn't risk people finding about dimension-hopping being possible. Ed told Scar that they couldn't risk some greedy general or alchemist ordering other alchemists to open a portal so they could exploit whatever country their portal opened to. Scar had seemed to accept that reason since he didn't raise any more objections to keeping the real story a secret.

Mustang had surprised them when he announced both Havoc and Hawkeye would be heading to Resembool first thing in the morning. Their surprise had lessened when he explained that it was so Hawkeye could requisition another car and bring Grumman up to speed since the Fuhrer would need to know about Lotor and the fifteen of them couldn't fit in one car, no matter how much they tried to squeeze everyone in there. It'd be tight enough of a fit with seven of them in one car and eight in the other, especially given the size of the Lions. Hawkeye didn't look awfully happy about leaving Mustang in Ishval without herself or Havoc there but she accepted her orders with nothing more than a nod.

It was Scar who – once again – solved their problem of where the Lions and Paladins would spend the night. He immediately offered his own room to some of them while the others shared with Ed and Al, stating he didn't mind sleeping in the living room for one night. Shiro had been the one to beat Ed to the argument of how they could sleep in the living room but they hadn't been able to come with a counter argument when Scar had pointed out that someone may enter his home without permission and would see them, nullifying any attempts at keeping their presence a secret before they could try.

When they first saw the darkened buildings of Ishval, it was by unspoken agreement that none of them would make a noise, not wanting to disturb the sleeping occupants of each home nor risk someone peeking out their window to investigate the noise and spotting them. Scar led them with ease through the slight maze of buildings and sure enough, they were making their way to the back door of Scar's home within no time. Only once everyone was inside, Scar shut the door and they were free to speak for the first time since approaching Ishval.

"Thank you for letting us stay here, Scar," Shiro said as the Ishvalen finished locking the back door. Scar didn't say anything in response, he just nodded.

Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc all exchanged looks before Mustang spoke up. "As nice as it would be to stay here for longer so we can catch up, the three of us need to leave before it gets too late and someone gets suspicious about why we stayed at Scar's for so long, especially since Master Teman and Major Miles left a couple of hours ago," Mustang told the group. "I will be back in the morning for the discussion with Master Teman and Major Miles while Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc will leave for Resembool immediately once they've dropped me here," Mustang informed them, looking specifically at Scar when he mentioned coming by in the morning.

"We'll see you in the morning than, General Mustang," Shiro said, doing an excellent job at pretending he didn't hear Ed's groan and mutter about using Mustang's rank when it predictably came.

Mustang didn't bother hiding his smirk but a warning look from the five Lions and Hawkeye made sure he didn't comment on it. The flame alchemist wasn't a fan of the six of them unintentionally ganging up on him like that. "Have a good night," Mustang said, an almost unnoticeable pout in his voice as he nodded his head to the group before gesturing to Hawkeye and Havoc to follow him out the door.

"Don't get yourself into any trouble, Chief," Havoc said as he followed the other two Amestrian soldiers out of the house. Hawkeye pinned Ed with a look that told him she would _not_ be impressed if he did so.

"Don't think much is going to get through these guys, even if someone wanted to try and take me on," Ed told him with a smirk on his face as he gestured to the Lions. All five did an admirable job of telling Havoc exactly what they would do to someone who would try without using anyone as their translator.

"Good point," Havoc said with a nod. "See ya!" he said as he left the house and before Scar managed to close the door completely on the trio.

"I'll gather the things I need from my room before those of you who will be using it retire for the night," Scar told them. Though he didn't look it, Ed was certain there was a slightly awkward and nervous energy around the man. Before he could do or say anything, Scar disappeared down the hallway.

"I'm gonna get ready for bed, Brother," Al said, nudging Ed's shoulder and Ed nodded in response.

"I'll go after you," Ed told him and Al gave him a smile before he followed Scar down the hallway. Ed watched him go, a slight frown forming on his face as he watched his little brother disappear into their borrowed room. Knowing he couldn't do anything about whatever was bothering Al, Ed turned to everyone left in the room. "So, just thought I oughta give you a warning but depending on whatever lie we end up peddling tomorrow, you guys might have to spend the day inside until Havoc and Miss Riza are back from Resembool," Ed told them.

"Because of the Lions?" Lance asked and Ed moved his hand in a 'sort of' gesture.

"That's half the reason," Ed told him. "The other half is your clothing. Right now, Shiro is the only one wearing clothes that wouldn't raise many questions," Ed told them. "Having said that, Shiro will need to wear long sleeves and gloves while you guys are here too," Ed said, looking at the Paladin in question with an apologetic expression. "Your prosthetic is far too advanced for me to try and pass off as automail," he explained.

"It's alright, Ed," Shiro told him with an understanding smile. "I just need to find or borrow a pair of gloves for while I'm here. I don't own any so I don't have any on me," he told him.

"That's fine. I'll alchemise you some from my spare black jacket," Ed told him, dismissing the slight apologetic tone that had been in Shiro's voice.

"What do we do about our clothes?" Hunk asked, looking at his orange shirt and green vest with worry.

"Resembool has a small clothing store and material shop. If we can't find anything in the clothing store for you guys, we'll just buy some material and Al and I can alchemise you some clothing to last you however long you're here," Ed reassured him and Hunk looked a lot more relaxed. "Just don't expect anything like denim or something like that before Amestris hasn't developed that sort of material yet. I'm still trying to figure out how I can get the people who actually design and create clothing to make hoodies without any awkward questions being asked," Ed told them, causing most of them to grin. They all knew – thanks to the Lions – how much Ed loved the hoodies the BAU had sent home with him after his second trip to America.

"Bedroom's free, Brother," Al announced from behind him, startling those who hadn't noticed his approach.

"Cheers, Al," Ed said, moving to bypass his brother so he could get changed into his sleep clothes only to brought to a stop by a whine from one of the Lions. "I am literally gonna be in another room for like a whole minute. Knock it off," Ed chided them all as a group, having not been able to identify which Lion it had been. He rolled his eyes when they grumbled but ignored them so he could get changed and everyone could get out of the living room since Scar would be using it as his room and Ed had noticed how tired the Ishvalen had seemed. Honestly, after spending a whole day escorting Mustang around, Ed would've been tired himself so he didn't judge Scar for being so.

Ed didn't see Scar as he walked the short distance to his room and he didn't see him when he was on his way out after getting changed either. However, once he got back to the living room where Al and Voltron were, he spotted Scar placing a bed roll on the floor. Before Ed could ask if Scar wanted to use his as well – knowing full well whichever Lions ended up in his and Al's room would let him camp up against them – Scar was speaking to the Voltron crew.

"I don't have any spare bedding and there won't be enough blankets to go around," Scar told them, looking apologetic about it.

"That's alright, thank you, Scar," Shiro told him. "We're plenty warm in what we've got and we can sleep next to our Lions for extra warmth. This won't be the first time we've had to sleep on the ground," he assured the Ishvalen. The other four Paladins and the five Lions all nodded in agreement and Ed was relieved to see Scar looking a little more relaxed.

"We should head to bed ourselves," Ed said, looking at the others in the room. "I don't think Teman and Miles will be waiting too long after sunrise to get the questions they have answered and it is pretty late."

"I think you'll find yourself proven right, Edward," Scar said with a barely-there wry smile. "Have a good night," he said to all of them, effectively stopping anyone from daring to try and argue – not that any of them were going to.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay the night and we are sorry for putting you out," Shiro said, bowing slightly to the Ishvalen while the other four echoed his words and mimicked his actions.

"It is no problem," Scar assured them. "It's not your fault you were sent here, by the sounds of it, and you will be potentially saving Ishval and Amestris from a terrible fate. Allowing you the use of my room for a night is the least I could do."

"Still, we appreciate it," Shiro said and Scar gave him a nod, showing him his appreciation was recognised, even if the Ishvalen didn't think it was necessary.

"We'll see you in the morning, Scar," Ed said as he and Al waited for the Lions and Paladins to head down the hallway.

"See you in the morning, Edward and Alphonse," Scar echoed Ed's words and both boys nodded before they followed Voltron, leaving Scar alone so he could get some sleep.

Shiro was assigning everyone to a room since he knew there would be plenty of arguments about who got to camp with Ed and Al. "Lance, Blue, Black and I will be in with Ed and Alphonse – so long as they're okay with that," Shiro said, glancing at the brothers who nodded at him so he continued, "while the rest of you will be in Scar's bedroom," he finished telling them and, as expected, there were a few whines from those heading to Scar's room. "No, no arguments," Shiro ordered. "Keith and Red will make sure the four of you get some sleep while I make sure Lance, Black and Blue don't keep Ed and Alphonse up all night," Shiro told them and Ed wanted to laugh at the expressions on mainly Lance's, Hunk's and Pidge's faces. "Get some sleep," Shiro told them, holding back his own grin. Blue and Black looked pretty happy with the arrangements, as did Lance, but they were pretty much the only ones openly showing they were.

"I'll see you in the morning," Ed assured the three Lions who wouldn't be camping in with him and Al when they didn't seem to want to follow their humans. Green, Yellow and Red had obviously accepted his assurances since they followed their pilots quickly into the room, allowing Hunk to shut the door after he gave them all a quick wave.

The six of them remaining in the hallway didn't linger much longer. They filed into Ed and Al's borrowed room and both Lions were quick to claim spots for themselves and their pilot that wasn't on one of the beds and was within easy reach of the one they knew Ed was using. Ed gestured for everyone to get settled while he waited next to the oil lamp Al had turned on earlier so he could extinguish it.

Once everyone was settled as comfortably as they could get, Ed extinguished the lamp and crawled onto his own bedroll, making sure he didn't accidentally step on anyone as he did. Before he laid down, he doublechecked the window was closed and was happy to find that someone – likely Al – had latched it shut so it couldn't be opened from the outside. Satisfied that no one would be able to enter the room without force, Ed laid down on his bedroll properly.

Despite the darkened room, he could still make out the shadowed figures of those who lay on the floor with him. There was so much he wanted to talk about with Lance and Shiro – as well as the other Paladins – now that he could speak to them in person but he knew they needed to get some sleep since there would be a lot needing to be dealt with tomorrow. The Ishvalen elders Mustang were supposed to meet with likely wouldn't be too impressed with the news that five strangers plus five massive Lions who looked and acted nothing like regular Lions had shown up mysteriously during the night with news that their country could be in danger by someone from where they were from.

Then there was the long day's drive back to Resembool that they would undertake the next night. Ed did _not_ envy Havoc or Hawkeye for the fact that they would be making that drive three times tomorrow. Ed made a mental note to send a note with the two soldiers to give to Pinako tomorrow since they would need a place to sleep for the night. He only hoped his adopted grandmother would be more intrigued by meeting the Lions and Paladins than pissed about the fact he was in Ishval so she wouldn't be tempted to turn them down out of spite. Not to mention he still needed to figure out what exactly was bothering Al, whether his brother was over it or not when they woke up.

Despite the long day ahead of them, Ed still wanted to stay up all night to speak with the others. However, his exhaustion created by a mixture of walking in the desert sand for over two hours, the pain caused by Lotor's weapon and the emotional rollercoaster he went through that evening was settling in and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay up even if he wanted to. He could feel the Lions' exhaustion from their fight and shifting into their flesh forms in an environment that didn't offer as much alchemic energy or quintessence as they were used and that helped make up his mind on whether he should give into sleep or his desire to catch up with them.

"Night, Al. Night, guys," was all Ed ended up saying to them, knowing he would have plenty of time to talk with them all at length. Even if Allura managed to find them tomorrow, she wouldn't take them and leave Lotor here for the Amestrians to deal with and Ed knew it.

"Good night, Brother," came Al's tired reply from across the other side of the room.

"Night, Ed," both Lance and Shiro said at almost the exact same time and Ed thought he heard Lance chuckle slightly at that.

" _Good night, cub,"_ Blue said softly through their bond and Ed thought he felt something brush against his left arm.

" _Sleep well, young alchemist,"_ Black said just as softly as Blue had.

Ed just knew his stupid happy grin would have had them all laughing and teasing him if they could've seen it. He felt the amusement coming from all the Lions as Green, Yellow and Red all chimed in with their own goodnights and Ed didn't bother trying to wipe his widening smile off his face as he replied to the other Lions. He snuggled further into his borrowed bedroll and fell asleep to the light but noticeable weight of two paws finding their way onto his bed, knowing no nightmare would be able to squirm its way into his mind tonight, not with the amount of joy and safety he felt in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for all of the comments on the last chapter! My heart was so happy to see them all! I really hope the rest of the reunion makes your hearts as happy as mine was while I was writing that scene and I really hope you'll let me know your thoughts :D See you all next week!


	10. Chapter 10

Ed woke up far more peacefully than he had the morning before. Alphonse wasn't berating him for sleeping in while they had things to do and he hadn't had a restless night caused by lack of tiredness or nightmares. Stretching his arms out as he groaned, he felt his flesh hand hit something warm, solid and soft. Eyes snapping open in surprise, he took in the image of the Black Lion sleeping next to his bed and the memories of the previous night's events swam to the forefront of his mind. Now that he'd remembered, he could feel Green, Red and Yellow only a few metres away, separated from him, Black and Blue by only a wall.

Ed's internal clock told him it was barely past five in the morning and Ed muttered to himself about the early hour. He thought about rolling over to try and get a couple more hours sleep but he knew he wouldn't be able to since he couldn't feel any sleep lingering in his mind. Sighing slightly, Ed pulled himself up, careful not to disturb the two sleeping Lions or their still-asleep Paladins. The blonde looked over to his brother's bedroll but, to his surprise, Al was missing. Ed glanced around the room but saw no signs of his brother. His boots were missing, as were his clothes and Ed realised Al must've already woken up and gotten himself ready for the day.

Frowning slightly at the fact that he hadn't been woken up by Al, Ed pulled himself out of bed and grabbed his own clothes and boots. Once he'd pulled them on and brushed and braided his hair, Ed glanced back at the sleeping Lions and pilots before he quietly headed out of the room and down the hall. Just as he'd thought he would, Ed found both Scar and Al having breakfast together at the table. Proving he was the best brother Ed would ever have, Al pushed a third bowl and cup of coffee Ed hadn't noticed towards an empty seat and Ed grabbed them both gratefully before skulling half the coffee in one go.

"Thanks, Al," Ed said before he started devouring the bowl of porridge in front of him. It was a little watery but Ed didn't mind since it proved that no milk was used to make it. "How long have you been up?" he asked once he'd finished his mouthful.

"Only a few minutes," Al told him as he returned to his own porridge. "Maybe 10. I couldn't get back to sleep once I was awake so I thought I'd see if Scar was up so I wouldn't disturb him if I left the room," Al said and Ed nodded.

"Were you alright out here last night, Scar?" Ed asked, moving his attention from his little brother to the Ishvalen.

Scar nodded as he pushed his empty bowl away and took a sip of his cooling coffee. "I was," he told Ed. "I take it your friends are still asleep?" he asked and Ed gave a confirming nod after gently probing his bond with each Lion and finding out they were still asleep. "There's plenty of food in the pot," Scar told him with a nod towards the firepit and small stove that stood over the glowing embers, "and some ground coffee beans for brewing on the bench." Another nod, this time towards the kitchen bench and a small tin that sat innocuously on it. "I'm going to see if General Mustang and those with him are awake and able to make their way over. As you said last night, Edward, it's very unlikely Master Teman and Major Miles will be waiting much longer before they arrive for the explanation we promised them," Scar told them as he stood from the table. "I believe it would be best if your friends eat before they arrive. There is some meat in the cold box should the Lions find the porridge not to their liking," Scar said, nodding to the small secured box that sat as far from the firepit as possible while still being in the kitchen.

"Would you like us to repay you for how much they'll all eat?" Ed asked as he frowned at the box and pot. "I know the Lions have a massive appetite, as do some of their Paladins, and I wouldn't want to leave you with no food after we've left," Ed said.

"Thank you, Edward, but I'm sure they won't eat so much that I am left with no food at all," Scar said. Ed's face told him he didn't have as much faith in how much food he would be left with. "Should I be proven wrong by the time you leave Ishval, we can come back to this discussion if you'd like," Scar offered and Ed nodded.

"I think that would be for the best. That way I'll know how much I owe you," Ed told him.

Scar decided it was best not to argue that there may not be a need for Ed to pay him back, especially when Al shook his head minutely at the Ishvalen when Ed wasn't paying attention to deter Scar from arguing. "I should be back within an hour," Scar told them and both boys nodded.

"See you then," Ed said with a wave of the hand that didn't have a spoon in it and Al echoed him. With a nod from Scar, the man disappeared through the front door, shutting it gently behind him. Ed continued eating what was left of his breakfast and sipping at his cooling coffee, resolutely ignoring the look Al was giving him, knowing what his brother was moments away from saying.

"Are you going to wake the Lions and their pilots?" Al asked, proving Ed right.

"No, I wanted to talk to you first about whatever was bothering you last night when we found them," Ed told him bluntly, "so spill," Ed ordered, making sure he was looking in Al's eyes so he couldn't try lying to him.

An embarrassed flush formed on Al's face and he diverted his eyes immediately as he looked down at the table, a slight trace of shame on his face that had Ed frowning a little in confusion. "It's nothing, Brother," Al immediately mumbled and Ed didn't bother to stop the disbelieving snort from sounding.

"Try again," Ed said, "because whatever was bothering you last night wasn't nothing. When you're bothered by something you know you shouldn't be, it doesn't take you hours to shake it off and you were still upset over whatever it was when we went to bed last night," Ed stated. His tone told Al that he wasn't going to let go of this matter until he was satisfied with whatever Al told him.

Al gave a long sigh. "It truly is nothing, Brother," Al told him. "I was just worried that something would happen when they turned up. There were six things that fell through that flash of light last night and you could only sense and account for five of them. I know the Lions aren't a danger to us but Lotor is and I truly thought that he may have fallen close by and would somehow find us," Al said. "I didn't like our chances of battling someone that psychotic in nearly complete darkness and surrounded by massive sand dunes that would've aided him and hindered us," Al finished explaining, looking at his hands, which he was wringing in his lap and refusing to meet Ed's eyes.

Ed narrowed his eyes at his shamefaced brother as he finished the last of his coffee. There was nothing in Al's demeanour that said he was lying – in fact, Ed fully believed him – but he suspected he wasn't being told everything. However, he also knew that he and Al were very similar in this kind of situation and no matter what Ed did, he would not be able to get Al to divulge what he was hiding until Al was ready to. "Fair enough," Ed said, electing to ignore the fact that Al was hiding something still. "Are you still worried? Because I have a feeling that the Lions would be able to sense him a mile away," Ed told him, pretending he didn't see the slight start of shock Al gave when Ed seemed to buy his excuse completely.

"No, I'm alright now. If he had landed near the Lions and tracked us, I think Lotor would've just attacked us last night while we were asleep," Al said, the relief he felt that Ed hadn't questioned him further obvious on his face for a moment before he realised it was showing and managed to wipe it away.

"Probably. From what the Paladins told us, I don't think Lotor would've been stable enough to think through his actions last night and wait for the best opportunity if he had landed close by and found us," Ed agreed. "Off the subject but do you happen to have any paper on you?" Ed asked, deciding to move the topic along so Al would stop looking like he thought Ed was gonna try and force more answers out of him.

"Yeah, I do," Al said as he reached into one of his jacket's pockets. "Why do you need it?" he asked even as he handed it over.

"Need to write to Granny and ask her if we can camp at hers tonight," Ed told him, taking the paper and scrounging up a pencil from his black jacket's pockets. "Of course, that's assuming Havoc and Hawkeye get back from Resembool at a reasonable enough time for us to leave today," he muttered. It had taken them just under five hours to get from Resembool to Ishval, which meant it would be around 10 hours before Hawkeye and Havoc were even back with the second car.

"Wait, how do you know we'll be leaving today?" Al asked with a frown as Ed started writing. "I didn't hear anyone suggest that we'd be leaving two nights earlier than planned."

"Well, I don't know for sure," Ed admitted, "however I don't think Mustang's gonna risk us staying here for longer than necessary," Ed told him.

"Why?" Al asked, still confused. "So long as the Lions and Paladins don't go outside during the day, no one other than Scar, Master Teman and Major Miles will know they're even here."

"True but I don't think any of them will be okay with staying inside for that long," Ed said, "and there's also Lotor we've got to think about. He's dangerous, as dangerous as some of the homunculi were from the sounds of it, and his location still isn't known," Ed reminded him. "We need to start hunting down his trail as soon as possible so he doesn't get a chance to hurt anyone."

"I guess that makes sense," Al said with a small frown. "How are we even going to figure out where he is? It's not like you can use your tracking array, no matter how much you've refined it so you can cover more distance with less energy," Al muttered the last part and Ed knew he was still irritated by how often Ed had pushed himself physically and mentally to his limits as he tried to perfect the array he'd developed when he and Mustang had first joined up with the BAU to hunt down Harding.

"We'll ask around," Ed said with a shrug. "The object that we think was Lotor's ship fell in Resembool's general direction, just a lot further out than the Lions had," Ed reminded him. "We'll just ask Granny and the other locals whether they saw anything last night and whether they know roughly where it had landed if they did see it," Ed told him.

"Wouldn't that raise suspicion? Us having the Lions and Paladins with us while we look for something that fell out of the sky?" Al asked, his concern obvious.

"Depends," Ed said with a shrug. "If we can come up with a decent and believable cover story for how and why they got here than no one should question their presence and no one is going to question why the military is interested in finding an object that fell from the sky. They'll either assume we're looking to see if it's something that'll present a danger to Amestris or whether it's something we can somehow use it to better the military," Ed informed him with a raised eyebrow, as though he couldn't believe that was one of Al's concerns. "If we can't come up with something, the Lions and Paladins will just have to stay at Granny's while we do the questioning."

Al's face smoothed as his worries were soothed. "Oh, I guess either situation would work," Al said and Ed rolled his eyes.

"You could sound a little less surprised that I came up with those ideas," Ed said, voice a little snippy.

Al smirked at him. "I'm just surprised there's so little fighting involved in your plans, Brother. It's shocking," Al teased and laughed when Ed flipped him off with both hands.

"Do you want me to hit you?" Ed retorted but his response only made Al laugh a little harder. Ed glowered at him before he snatched his brother's half-full coffee cup and downed what was left in it before Al could so much as emit a noise of protest.

"That is cruelty and it should be illegal," Al grumbled as Ed grinned, using his sleeve to wipe the coffee moustache that was on his top lip.

"As someone who arrests people for a living, I can assure you it's not illegal to steal your little brother's coffee when he's being a shit," Ed told him, smug in his victory.

"I'll get you back for that somehow," Al warned him but Ed looked entirely unconcerned. "Are you gonna wake them yet?" Al asked, a touch petulantly as he slouched in his seat.

"No need," Ed told him, not even looking back as a moment later, Shiro and Black padded out into the living room, followed closely by a scowling Lance and Blue. "There's breakfast in the kitchen and coffee can be made if asked nicely," Ed told the two of them. He knew he'd have to repeat himself when Yellow, Green and Keith (according to Red) had finished convincing Hunk and Pidge that they needed to wake up now.

"Thanks, Ed," Shiro said, sounding far more awake for someone who just woke up than Ed thought he had any right to. From the daggers Lance was aiming at Shiro's back, Ed had a feeling that the Blue pilot agreed wholeheartedly with his silent thought. Though, Ed mused, it could've been because Shiro made him wake up when he didn't want to, something Lance never enjoyed according to Blue.

As the two men headed for the kitchen – Lance stumbling slightly as he rubbed his eyes in a futile effort to wake himself up a bit more – Ed took pity on them and, after giving the two Lions a pat, followed the pair so he could help them out, taking his and Al's dirty dishes as he went. Grabbing two bowls and spoons from a cupboard, Ed handed one of each to the pair and received their thanks in response. He raised Al's empty coffee cup at his brother and wiggled it, silently asking if Al wanted another coffee and received a nod.

"See? You can't berate me about being addicted when I have two coffees within an hour of waking while claiming Al has his caffeine addiction under control if he does the same," Ed told Black as he tipped some coffee grounds into four cups, Shiro and Lance having both asked nicely if he could also make them one.

Black rolled her eyes and Ed could feel the slightly confused look Shiro was giving him. _"Your brother has a reasonable amount of coffee during a normal day. You have almost three times as much as he does,"_ Black informed him.

"Lies," Ed said, dismissing her words with a flick of his hand. "Al has just as many as I do. He's just better at hiding his addiction than I am," Ed told her with a grin. He poured cold water into the cups but turned when he heard a highly distressed sound of disgust and protest before he could do anything else.

Lance was watching him with a highly affronted expression, his blue eyes flicking between Ed and the coffee cups with disbelief. "What the hell, man? Did you just pour cold water over the coffee?" Lance asked and though Ed could understand why the teenager was distressed, it didn't stop him levelling Lance with a flat look.

Clapping his hands together – a habit he still hadn't lost and was made harder by the fact that Ed still needed to clap for arrays like his tracking and absorbing ones – he touched each cup in turn. Once the crackle of blue energy dissipated from the mugs, they could all see steam rising from them. Ed gave the liquid in each cup a quick stir before he looked back at Lance. "Don't ever accuse me of such sacrilege again," Ed told him, though he knew his eyes were flashing with amusement as he handed Lance his coffee. "There's a small amount of sugar but no milk," Ed told them as he carried his and Al's coffees over to the table.

Both Lions were waiting for him and their Paladins next to the chair Ed had been sitting in. Just as Ed put the coffees down and had given Al his, there was a small commotion from the other end of the house before Pidge emerged from the room with a victorious grin on her face. Ed watched in bemusement as the three Lions and two remaining Paladins followed Green's pilot into the lounge room. Ed repeated his greeting to the three Paladins before he turned to Green and asked why Pidge looked so smug with herself.

" _Keith and Hunk thought Pidge was still asleep so they tried moving her laptop away from her so they could mess with it and so Hunk could find out if she really had a sixth sense that told her when someone was touching her electronics,"_ Green explained as she sat with her sisters.

"I'll assume Pidge was not asleep and that she managed to get her own back," Ed said and Green nodded.

" _I'm surprised you didn't hear the two of them when they shrieked after Pidge snuck up behind them,"_ Green said, sniggering as she recalled the memory.

" _To be fair, they were quick to muffle the noises,"_ Yellow said, her own amusement obvious in her voice and Ed grinned when Hunk looked over suspiciously.

"You guys right in there?" Ed asked the three Paladins who had emerged from their room last. Both Lance and Shiro had joined Ed and Al at the table with their breakfast.

"Yep," Hunk told him while Pidge and Keith fought over who would get to serve themselves first. Keith won the scuffle and looked far too pleased with himself when he did for Ed to not believe there wasn't a slight feeling of retribution.

There was a gasp of exclamation and Ed turned quickly to find Lance looking at his coffee like it was the best thing he'd ever drunk in his life. "I forgot how good normal coffee was! Space coffee just doesn't hold a flame to this heavenly nectar!" Shiro shook his head in amusement – though Ed thought he saw a bit of guilt there – while Lance continued to wax poetic about the coffee in his hands.

"Is there any hot water for our coffee?" Hunk asked, garnering Ed's attention once more.

"No, just put some cold water in there and bring your cups over here," Ed instructed, not willing to get out of his seat lest Al decided to take his coffee in retribution while he was gone.

Ed wanted to roll his eyes when he saw the looks on Hunk's, Pidge's, and Keith's faces but – mercifully – they just did as Ed had told them. Once the cold cups were in front of him, Ed repeated his previous transmutation and slid the now-hot coffees back to each of them. "Woah, that's handy," Hunk said as he eyed the steaming cup with awe. "You must never have to reheat food or does that array only work on liquids?" Hunk asked as he sat.

Before Ed could say anything, Al piped up. "Not that there's ever any leftovers when Brother's concerned but the array he used was just for the liquid. It's based on Thomas Harding's array, actually," he told them, a smirk on his face when Ed had growled at him. The elder Elric's annoyance turned into amusement when Al held his coffee cup protectively so Ed couldn't steal it again.

"Really? Why did you only base your array off of his instead of just using it as it was?" Shiro asked Ed. All the Paladins and Lions knew who Harding was and what he had done for Ed and Mustang to have to deal with him.

"Well, for starters, when Al says it's based on Harding's array, what he means is I took the idea of what Harding's array was supposed to do – boil liquid he could then control – and created my own version of it," Ed told him. "Besides, it had some issues with it. Nothing too major or dangerous but my changes streamlined the array so it works better now. I do that with a lot of arrays, actually, even my own. There's always room for improvement," Ed said.

"So you can improve on arrays?" Pidge asked and Ed nodded.

"I guess it's kinda like technology in a way," Ed said. "Sometimes we can take an array and improve on it using stuff we've learned since creating or coming across it, much like you can make tablets and other things better than the previous model," Ed explained and Pidge gave a nod of understanding.

"Hey, where's Scar?" Lance asked, completely changing the topic of discussion as he realised their host was missing now that the coffee had kicked in for him.

"Gone to get Mustang's lazy arse out of bed so we can discuss your cover story before Master Teman and Major Miles turn up to find out why Scar had them leave rather abruptly last night," Ed told him.

"Brother!" came the familiar hiss from Al that had Ed rolling his eyes while most of the Paladins laughed.

"How long do you think it'll be before they're back?" Shiro asked, fighting to keep the grin off his face as Ed exchanged high-fives with the three youngest Paladins while Al glared at them for encouraging Ed's behaviour.

"Scar said he'd be back within an hour and he only left like five minutes before you, Lance and your Lions emerged from the room," Ed told him. "I have a feeling that Scar's gonna leave Mustang and the others to find their way over here while he escorts Teman and Miles to his home," Ed divulged.

"Even you have to be right every now and then, Fullmetal." Somehow, Ed wasn't surprised to hear Mustang's drawl coming from the front door as the man himself entered the house.

"My record at being proven correct surpasses yours so much that it's almost embarrassing, you bastard," Ed snarked back. "Are Havoc and Miss Riza still out there?" he asked before Mustang could retort.

"Yes," Mustang told him, raising a surprised brow as Ed grabbed a piece of paper from in front of him before he dodged Lions and Paladins alike before shoving past Mustang and out into the sunshine. "You could've asked nicely for me to move," Mustang grumbled as he glared at Ed while the blonde headed towards the car that was idling on the road, rubbing the spot where Ed had elbowed him (with his left arm thankfully) out of his way.

"Yeah, I could've," Ed agreed and they both heard the 'but I wouldn't have' Ed didn't say. He didn't bother turning back to see Mustang's reaction so he missed the eyeroll.

The window on the passenger side of the car rolled down to reveal Hawkeye and Havoc looking at him questioningly. "What's up, Chief?" Havoc asked when Ed was close enough to the door to speak to them.

"Can you guys do me a favour and give this to Granny Pinako?" Ed asked, handing over the note he'd hastily folded as he left the house. Hawkeye took it silently but there was still a questioning look on her face. "I figured we'd be leaving Ishval either tonight or early tomorrow morning and that we'd need some place to stay in Resembool since Lotor's ship looked like it had landed in Resembool's general direction," Ed explained, answering Hawkeye's unasked question.

"That would solve the problem of where we'd stay," Hawkeye said. "I don't think we could've booked the hotel in town and snuck the Lions and their Paladins in without anyone seeing us," she told him.

"Plus Granny's place doesn't have any neighbours within sight of the house so it's not like we'd have to ask the Voltron crew to stay in her house for an unknown amount of time. The only reason they'd have to hide is if someone hurts themselves badly enough they need Granny's help," Ed said and Hawkeye gave an approving nod.

"We'll make sure Ms. Rockbell receives the note and gives us a reply before we leave Resembool," Hawkeye promised him.

"Thanks, Miss Riza," Ed said, giving her a grateful smile before he took a couple of steps away from the car. "Have a safe trip," he said, lifting his hand in a slight wave.

"We will," Havoc told him, lips lifted into his trademark smirk.

"Please try not to let General Mustang get on your nerves too much and do your best not to get on his while we're gone," Hawkeye requested. "I'd rather it if neither of you required Lieutenant Havoc's medical aid upon our return," she told him. Both her tone of voice and her expression told Ed just how dire the consequences would be if he didn't listen to her words.

"I'll do my best but I ain't promising anything on Mustang's behalf," Ed told her.

"Don't worry. I already gave him his own talking to in the car," Hawkeye informed him and Ed had to fight hard to keep the grin off his face at the mental image her words gave him. "See you in a few hours, Edward."

"Yeah, see you in a bit, Ed," Havoc said, echoing Hawkeye's words for the most part.

"See you later," Ed said, giving them another wave before Havoc pulled the car away while Hawkeye wound up her window so the desert dust and rapidly heating air wouldn't invade the car too much during their drive.

"What was that about?" Mustang asked when Ed was nearly back to Scar's house. Evidently, the man hadn't moved while Ed was talking to his two other subordinates.

"I gave them a note to give to Granny so we could try and stay at her place tonight or tomorrow, depending on when we get to Resembool," Ed told him, entering the house once Mustang had moved out of the way.

Mustang shut the door behind the pair as he followed Ed to the table. "Good idea. I don't think Ms. Rockbell would've taken too kindly to us showing up on her doorstep with five strangers and five Lions in tow," Mustang said. "Morning, everyone," he greeted with a nod as he and Ed sat at the table.

"I can tell you right now that she likely would've allowed us to stay but you can bet there would've been a lot of muttering and bitching if we hadn't asked first," Ed told him once the Paladins and Al had returned Mustang's greeting. "This way, we get to avoid all of that for the most part."

"'For the most part'?" Shiro echoed questioningly and both Ed and Al nodded.

"There'll likely still be some unflattering comments muttered when we turn up, especially if it's at a late hour," Al explained.

"And there will definitely be some bitching because we were in Ishval and didn't tell her," Ed added.

"Let's get on track, shall we?" Mustang asked, putting a halt to any more discussion on Pinako Rockbell's potential reaction. "Have any of you thought up a believable cover story for who you are and how you got here?" Mustang asked, gesturing to the Lions and Paladins.

"Actually," Lance said, gaining everyone's attention, "I did have a couple of thoughts," he told them, a touch of unsurety in his voice.

"Hit us," Ed said, leaning forward a little to show his eagerness to hear Lance's ideas. Ed knew from his short stint on the Castle-Ship and from the six months of bonding with the Lions that Lance had a level of self-doubt so high, it rivalled Ed's own. It was something the Lions and rest of the Paladins were actively trying to help Lance with and Ed did what he could, despite the distance.

"Well, the rule of thumb for getting away with something is to tell the truth as much as possible, right?" Lance asked and he received a few nods in return. Mustang wasn't happy with how agreeing Ed's nod was and Shiro was not impressed with the fact that his Paladins had agreed with Lance so quickly. "So we should do that," Lance said, tone a little more confident than it had been before. "We're an elite unit fighting against a race of beings who are intent on taking over our country. We met by chance but were found by the leaders of the coalition formed by those who are fighting against the bad guys. The leaders thought we would be compatible with five experimental weapons they had created and they were right. Since then, we've been fighting on the frontlines as a unit codenamed Voltron and while we've recently taken out the two leaders of the race we're fighting against, we're still being assigned missions to capture or eliminate anyone else whose intentions towards others are inhumane." Here Lance paused for a breath before continuing.

"Last night we were trying to apprehend a dangerous criminal when they used a weapon that backfired on them and we wound up in Amestris with the criminal who has since escaped our custody. While our team leaders are trying to bring us home, we'll be looking for the criminal so he can answer for his crimes, hopefully before he commits any in Amestris. You guys found us and agreed to help," Lance said before going quiet, having finished explaining his idea for a cover story.

"That could definitely work," Pidge said, being the first one to speak out of everyone. Her voice had most of them shaking out of their slight shock at how well thought out Lance's idea was.

"When did you possibly have time to think that up?" Keith asked and Lance shrugged a shoulder self-consciously.

"Didn't get to sleep for a bit last night and I knew Ed and the others would be thinking of a story that wouldn't include inter-dimensional travel so I decided to see if I could come up with before I fell asleep," Lance explained, cheeks a little flushed at how impressed some of them looked. Blue nuzzled into his side and bumped her muzzle against his cheek, her pride in her pilot obvious enough that the others didn't need a bond with her to see it.

"The only thing that wouldn't work is how you got here," Mustang said, giving Lance an apologetic look. "Everything else would be believed by most people without question. Aside from Xing, Xerxes, Ishval, Aerugo, Creta and Drachma, there is no proof of any other country other than Amestris so people would believe you could be from a country we haven't discovered," Mustang explained. "In fact, that's what we claimed with the BAU. However, telling the military that you and your team were brought here by a powerful weapon being misused by an extremely dangerous criminal would not only have the five of you," Mustang gave the Paladins a significant look, "interrogated for hours on end but I could guarantee that some greedy general would get it into their head to look for Lotor and his weapon so they could get control of it and that is an obstacle we don't need."

"Your country doesn't have any kind of technology that allows you to fly, does it?" Pidge asked but the three Amestrians shook their heads.

"Some alchemists and scientists have been working on prototypes to allow us to fly but they've not managed to get very far with them," Ed told her, "and it's not like I can give random bits of advice on varying projects without someone asking me how I'd come up with the suggestion and there's only so many times someone will buy the 'oh I'm a genius and it just came to me' excuse," Ed said.

Pidge's face crumpled slightly. "There goes my idea of saying we parachuted in or something," she grumbled, pouting as she slouched in her chair.

"Could we just claim that how we arrived is classified or something?" Hunk asked and Mustang hummed in consideration.

"You could however you would create far more suspicion regarding yourselves than you'll already garner and I can't guarantee you won't be safe from people who will try and force you to tell them the truth," Mustang told him. "Fuhrer Grumman won't question anything we tell him since he knows the truth about who you all are but even he wouldn't be able to silence the generals if they raised a fuss about letting foreigners from a country we know nothing about into Amestris and allowing them to keep secrets that could impact Amestris in the future," Mustang explained.

"Could we claim that we don't know?" Shiro asked and Mustang gave him a questioning look. "We could say that alchemy is an ability that's only recently been discovered in our 'country' and Lotor was one of the very few people who knew how to use. None of us know anything about alchemy other than how powerful and dangerous it can be so we don't know how he got us here, except that it was with some kind of alchemy," Shiro expanded on his idea.

"Again, that could work but you'll risk unwanted attention and opportunistic generals," Mustang said. "Although," Mustang hummed thoughtfully, "maybe if you didn't call it alchemy, maybe if you called it something else, the potential danger surrounding something completely unknown to us might stop several people from trying to get their hands on it and Lotor," Mustang told them.

"What could we call it?" Hunk asked, glancing at everyone and watched them try and think of something.

"Quintessence," Ed blurted suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "Call it quintessence. It's essentially the same thing but most importantly, only a handful of people here know what it is and you guys will be able to remember the word easily if someone asks you about when you're not paying attention," Ed explained.

"That'll do," Shiro said, nodding at Ed. "So we'll go with what Lance said but when someone asks us how we got to Amestris, we claim we have no idea, only that the criminal we're after used a very rare ability to manipulate quintessence that accidentally brought us and him here," Shiro summed up and everyone gave their nod of approval. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?" the Black Paladin asked, wanting to see if anyone had thought of something they'd overlooked before anyone else joined them.

"What do we say about the Lions when someone asks about them?" Hunk asked, giving Yellow a pat between the ears. "I know Lance called them 'experimental weapons' in his cover story but they are flesh and blood Lions. I can't imagine many people wouldn't be curious about how a flesh and blood lion can be a weapon, especially when they look no different to normal lions, with the exception of their colouring and size," Hunk expanded on his question when a few of the others gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, good question," Lance said as he slumped slightly in his seat. "What do we say if someone asks about the Lions' abilities?"

"Well, what can they do in flesh form?" Al asked curiously. "Other than talk to you guys and Ed telepathically, I mean," he added before anyone could state that.

"They're excellent trackers, especially when trying to find each other, their pilot or Ed," Shiro told him. "They're formidable fighters and they have their telepathic abilities," Shiro said. "All of their other abilities or weapons – their lasers, their elemental abilities, everything else – don't come over to their flesh forms when they shift," Shiro explained. There was a moment of hesitation as Shiro seemed to contemplate something. "In the interest of being completely honest, there is an ability that we've recently discovered that can only be used when the Lions are in flesh form," Shiro said.

"Really?" Ed asked, looking at the Lions and Paladins with immense interest and a little bit of hurt. He hadn't been told about any new ability.

"We only discovered the ability a couple of weeks ago and we've been working on trying to perfect it. Some of us have managed to use it with more ease than the rest of us," Shiro gave Lance a proud smile, "but we've all finally managed to get the hang of it in the last few days," Shiro said before giving Ed an apologetic look. "The Lions wanted to wait to tell you about it until everyone could use it proficiently so they could show you their memories," he explained.

Ed heard the Lions backing up Shiro's claims and gave them an understanding nod. "So what's the ability?" the blonde asked, not bothering to hide his curiousity.

"When the Lions are in their flesh form – and only when they're in it – their pilot is able to manipulate the element their Lion represents," Shiro divulged and Ed just knew he was gaping as much as Mustang and Al were.

"You can manipulate an element each?" Ed asked, needing to hear one of them say so again so he knew he wasn't imagining things.

"Yes," Lance confirmed, a small smirk of amusement on his face.

"How the hell did you discover that?" Ed asked, wanting to know exactly what they had been doing for them to uncover that ability.

Hunk gave a sheepish look. "We discovered it by accident," he told Ed. "We were on a planet that is part of the coalition and the Lions were in their flesh forms so they could explore with us. Lance, Blue, Yellow and I were heading for their version of a beach to see if we could go swimming. Part of the path to get there had a cliff face on the side," he explained. "While we were walking past it, a small rockslide happened. I noticed and started panicking since I knew we'd never get out of the way in time to avoid injuries. Yellow noticed my panic, saw what was causing the panic and told me to trust her. Of course, I listened to her and felt an energy I'd never felt before build up in me. I don't even know how I did it but somehow when I released the energy, I'd manipulated the cliff face so the rockslide was diverted around us," Hunk revealed.

"After we got over our shock, we headed straight back to the others and told them what had happened," Lance said, getting the attention off his best friend, who had been looking a little uncomfortable with it. "After we'd convinced the others we were telling the truth, we tried to figure out how it had happened," Lance told them.

"It wasn't until I pointed out that Yellow's element was earth that we realised that somehow, Hunk had managed to use his Lion's element," Pidge took up the retelling. "That made us wonder if we could all use our Lion's element so once we were back in the ship, we decided to do some training. Hunk did his best to try and explain how he managed to use his new ability but finding out that it had mostly been instinct and trust in his Lion hadn't been overly helpful," Pidge grumbled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry that I couldn't describe how I used an ability I had no idea was even possible in the middle of a dangerous situation!" Hunk said hotly, looking both exasperated that Pidge was still irked by that and ready to fight the Green Paladin but both Yellow and Green got in between them, literally.

"That's enough, both of you," Shiro said sternly. Both Paladins heeded the warning in his voice but they both glowered at each other before doing so.

" _They're just arguing because Pidge is still struggling a little with controlling my element,"_ Green revealed to Ed. _"Plant manipulation isn't the easiest thing in the world and even though she was the only one who could do so on Olkarion, it was more because it was technology based that she could use it. As much as I love her, Pidge doesn't do well with living things,"_ Green said. _"She's getting there though. It's a major learning curve for all of them and she hates the fact that this is the one area where she isn't leading the pack, so to speak,"_ Green told him.

"Plant manipulation sucks. Plant-based alchemy is one of the few areas where I'm next to useless but Al makes it look so bloody easy," Ed told Green, using their bond to do so.

"So what elements do the Lions represent? I know Allura mentioned them to us during the training session you bribed Fullmetal into helping you win," Mustang looked at Pidge, Lance and Hunk pointedly, "but I can't recall what Allura told us," Mustang admitted, bringing Ed and Green's attention back to the conversation.

"Well, Yellow represents earth, obviously," Shiro said. "Blue's element is water, which she can turn into ice if she wants, as you know. Red uses fire while Green has the ability to manipulate plant life and Black represents the sky and air," he explained.

Al frowned. "What do you mean by Green being able to manipulate plant life?" he asked.

"In mechanical form, Green can throw seed bombs at a target then make them grow at an extremely accelerated speed so she can wrap the target in vines or whatever she grows to destroy or stop it," Pidge explained. "Now, I can't produce seed bombs but what I should be able to do is manipulate the vegetation around me so I can use it to do what I want. It's hard to practise that kind of ability on a ship that has no plant life though so I've been stuck waiting until we stop on an allied planet to practise," she told them and Ed now understood why Pidge had been having so much trouble trying to learn her abilities.

"Coran will have the greenhouse section of the Castle-Ship up and running again soon and you can practise in there when we have those training lessons," Shiro assured her and Pidge gave a nod, though she still didn't look too happy.

"Well assuming we have any spare time, Resembool and Central have plenty of plant life in secluded areas so you're welcome to practise your abilities while you're here," Ed told her and Pidge gave him a happy smile while Green flooded their bond with gratitude.

"Might take you up on that," Pidge told him, the ghost of her usual troublemaking smirk on her lips.

"Back to Hunk's question though," Mustang said, making everyone realise that it hadn't actually been answered yet. "I think it would be best it you kept the telepathy and the elemental manipulation between us and my team," he told the Paladins and Lions. "I hate to say it but our country still has people in it who will kidnap you to find out how your bond works if they knew the more unusual aspects of it and I cannot guarantee that won't happen to any of you if you make it public knowledge," Mustang cautioned.

"Seriously," Ed said, looking at them all. "I've lost count of the amount of times I've been kidnapped because people assumed I knew flame alchemy just because I have the misfortune of having Mustang as my CO," Ed told them. "Even after my first year under his command, the kidnappings didn't stop completely because people thought Mustang might've been secretly teaching me while I was still under his command. They assumed that that was why I stayed on his team despite our attitude towards one another," Ed explained. "Even though we're claiming quintessence is nothing like alchemy if anyone asks, there will still be some power-hungry bastard out there willing to kidnap any of you to learn how you can use telepathy or your elemental manipulation so it's best to keep those a secret as long as possible," Ed stated.

"We understand and we'll do as you suggest," Shiro said after a few moments. "We won't advertise those particular abilities unless we have no other choice," he agreed, looking firmly at the other Paladins and not looking away until he received a nod from all of them and the Lions. Shiro noticed the three alchemists relax once they had everyone's agreements but he didn't comment on it.

"I'll still be able to practise my abilities though, right?" Pidge asked, causing most everyone to laugh as Ed nodded.

"Yeah, of course. We'll just have to make sure no one's around first," Ed reassured her and she gave him a nod of satisfaction.

"So what do we do now?" Lance asked.

"Well I need to get Shiro some gloves before Teman and Miles turn up," Ed said, looking at Shiro's prosthetic and trying to estimate how big he'd have to make the gloves.

"I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee and you guys should finish your breakfast if you haven't already," Mustang said, looking pointedly at their bowls.

"Oh, cheers, Mustang. I could go for another cup," Ed said, getting to his feet and handing his cup over to his commanding officer, ignoring Al's hissed reprimand. "I'll be back in a minute," he told them, a smirk on his face as he pretended to not hear Mustang's protests as he vanished into the small hallway.

Mustang glared in the direction the blonde had gone, considering if it would be worth the trouble he'd get in by his captain and Scar if he snapped his fingers at Ed but ultimately decided that almost nothing was worth getting on Hawkeye's bad side. "Does anyone else want a coffee?" Mustang asked with a sigh as he got to his feet.

"Yes, please," Lance said, sliding his empty coffee cup towards the general.

"Would you like a hand, sir?" Al asked when both Shiro and Pidge took Mustang up on his offer.

Mustang counted the cups he'd need to make and carry, including one for himself and Al, since he knew the youngest Elric would want one before nodding. "It would be appreciated," he said, grabbing Ed's, Shiro's and Pidge's cups. Al gave him a smile and grabbed his own and Lance's before he followed Mustang into the kitchen. "Do you think I could get away with poisoning your brother?" Mustang muttered to Al as he gathered the needed ingredients. Al just grinned as he heard several growls coming from the table but he didn't get the chance to comment.

"Rookie error, Mustang," Ed said as he emerged from the other end of the house with two black gloves in hand. "The Lions can hear you very clearly from that distance, even if you whisper," Ed informed him, "and they love me too much not to tattle on you," he said with a smirk.

"It wouldn't have been a good idea anyway, sir," Al told him as he helped in the kitchen. "Brother would've survived and you would've had to put up with his complaining for the remainder of his time under your command," Al pointed out.

"Alphonse Elric! I cannot believe that your only objection to him poisoning me is that I'll complain!" Ed said, faux offended as he came to a stop so he could level his brother with a heatless glare.

"Am I wrong?" Al asked, a spark of amused challenge in his eyes as most of the Paladins watched the scene in front of them with glee.

"No, however I am still offended," Ed told him. Al's response was an eyeroll epic enough that Ed was impressed by it.

"Well I'm certainly not going to try and poison you now that you were told about my comment," Mustang said. "I'll have to wait until you least expect it." He sighed as though annoyed his opportunity had been taken from him but most everyone could see how much effort he was putting into not grinning in amusement.

"Bring it on, bastard," Ed said uncaringly as he walked the final few steps to the table and tossed Shiro the gloves. "Try them on," Ed instructed as he took his seat, patting Blue and Black as he passed the two of them.

Shiro did as he was told and wriggled his fingers once he'd pulled the gloves one, making sure they were snug enough. "Thanks, Ed," he said with a smile that Ed returned.

"No problems," Ed told him. "We'll grab some material to make you a couple of spare pairs, just in case," he said and Shiro gave a nod.

"Not everyone destroys gloves on a regular basis like you do, Fullmetal," Mustang drawled, unable to resist the opportunity presented.

"I haven't destroyed my gloves in months, arsehole!" Ed snapped, rising to the bait and Mustang smirked.

"That's only because of the material your gloves are made of. If you'd managed to destroy them, even I would've been impressed," Mustang snarked.

"I'll destroy them kicking your arse," Ed growled. Mustang's retort was cut off by a snort of laughter from Lance. Hunk and Pidge weren't bothering to smother their giggles and both Keith and Shiro were grinning in amusement.

"We forgot what the two of you were like," Lance chuckled when Ed raised an amused but questioning brow.

"It gets old. Trust me," Al said, ending his statement with a long-suffering sigh as he brought three mugs back to the table. Mustang followed close behind with the other three.

"I don't see how," Hunk admitted, a couple of chuckles still escaping him despite his efforts to calm himself down.

"It's alright now that they usually aren't three words away from stabbing or setting the other on fire but you didn't have to put up with five years of that," Al told him, making sure to sound somewhat haunted by his memories. Ed smacked him on the shoulder, ruining his dramatics.

"Stop acting like you didn't want to kill him at some points either," Ed grumbled at him.

"That sounds like it has some stories behind it so spill," Lance demanded, leaning forward so his elbows rested on the table as he awaited the tales eagerly.

Mustang made a noise of protest when Ed opened his mouth with the first story that sprang to mind. "Shut it, Mustang," Ed ordered. "We've got time to kill until Scar, Teman and Miles turn up and you're outvoted on how to waste it," he informed him.

"Just as long as you know that for every story you've got, I'll tell one of my own about the two of you," Mustang warned.

"Our stories outweigh yours so bring it, Mustang," Ed challenged, his tone being echoed in Al's eyes.

Mustang noted with no small amount of amusement that the Paladins had all squirmed slightly in their seats in anticipation of what was about to unfold in front of them, even Keith and Shiro. "You're on, brat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter for you all! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter and I'm really happy you all seemed to like the reunion between Ed and Voltron! I'll see you all next week!


	11. Chapter 11

"It shouldn't be much longer until we're in Resembool now," Havoc said, looking first to his right at Ed then in his rear-vision mirror to the Paladins and Lions he could see.

"Considering how much I wanna be out of this car, I don't think I wanna know how you're feeling," Ed said with a small smirk and Havoc let out a bark of laughter.

"I think you'll find I won't be volunteering to do any driving for quite a while," Havoc told him, only half-joking.

"We aren't gonna judge you," Lance said from the backseat and Blue gave a chuffing noise of agreement.

In the car with Havoc and Ed were Lance, Blue, Red, Keith and Green. In the other car were Mustang, Al, Yellow, Hunk, Shiro, Black and Pidge with Hawkeye behind the wheel. It had actually been a debate that had lasted a solid hour during the day about who would go in which car. The Lions being the size they were made seating arrangements difficult and their numbers certainly didn't help matters. With fifteen people and Lions, Ed knew both he, Mustang and Al had the same thought: would two cars be enough? By the end of the hour, the only thing still to be hashed out was whether Pidge and Green would even fit in the same car. Despite being the smallest out of both Paladins and Lions, Green still stood at the same height as Al and took up nearly twice the room he did. It had been Pidge who had suggested they each take a different car in the end and the scowl on her face was more than enough to tell the others how much she hated the idea. Green looked just as pleased with it.

Ed's only hang up had been Al going in a different car to him. The eldest Elric had no issues being separated from Mustang – in fact, he had enthusiastically nodded in agreement when Shiro suggested it – but he hadn't liked it when Al said he'd go with Mustang and Hawkeye. He suspected that part of the reason behind Al's decision was so that Ed couldn't try and talk to him further about what was bothering him. To Al's credit, he did a phenomenal job at pretending to not see the suspicious look Ed was shooting his way for the next few minutes after his announcement. Ed noticed Shiro glancing between him and Al but he didn't question or comment on it since he was too busy trying to figure out what his little brother was hiding from him.

"Appreciate that, Lance," Havoc said, grinning at the Blue Paladin for a moment before he focused on the road once. His voice pulled Ed of his thoughts and he glimpsed Lance's own grin when he stretched out his back. "So, you didn't tell me the details of what happened this morning between you lot, Teman and Miles," Havoc informed Ed, causing the blonde to shake his head at the smoker's unsubtle ways.

"Well firstly, I am completely convinced General Armstrong snuck into Ishval or that Miles headed to Briggs without us hearing about it because Miles looked far too unsurprised to see giant colourful Lions in Scar's living room," Ed told him with a small scowl on his face.

"You think General Armstrong told him?" Havoc asked, tone edging into seriousness. He knew the eldest Armstrong sibling had given her word to Ed when he told her about his inter-dimensional trips and the truth about the consultants who'd helped them find Belmont that she wouldn't repeat what Ed had told her to anyone so it was a little worrying to him that she may have broken her word, even if it was Miles whom she'd broken her word to tell.

"Well, I don't know for sure but it's either that or he has one helluva poker face because he didn't even blink at the Lions," Ed told him. Havoc had to fight down his grin at Ed's awestruck tone. Nearly five years in the military and Ed's own poker face had barely gotten any better than it had been when they first met him. In Ed's defence though, Havoc realised the blonde had been quick to figure out early on in his military career that lying was never going to work for him but carefully wording what he said and letting someone make an assumption from it worked wonders for him.

"What did Teman do?" Havoc inquired, almost a little too curiously.

"Well, either he was extremely calm or he was freaking out so much he looked calm because all he did upon seeing the Lions was turn to us and demand an immediate explanation," Ed told him, causing Havoc to snort slightly.

"What did you end up telling them?" Havoc asked. "There's no way you told them the truth."

"You're absolutely right and we lied straight to their faces for the most part," Ed confirmed. "Actually, Lance was the one who came up with most of the cover story for us," Ed told Havoc, almost grinning when Blue confirmed his suspicions that Lance's face had just turned red from his embarrassed flush.

"I did get the impression that he's pretty similar to you, Chief, so I'm not surprised to hear that," Havoc said. The small smirk and amused tone his voice had Ed unsure of whether it was a compliment or jab at him so he settled for glaring at him.

"You've known me for like four hours and most of that has been spent in this car. How did you manage to get a read that you're confident in on me so quickly?" Lance asked, somehow both curious and a little offended that Havoc had made a judgment call on him with minimal interaction between the two of them.

"Anyone would've made the same call within ten minutes of knowing the two of you," Keith muttered from where he sat pressed against Red and Green, looking remarkably unaffected by Lance's resultant glare.

"He's not wrong," Havoc said with a chuckle that only grew when he noticed both Ed and Lance rolling their eyes at the same time.

"I thought you wanted to hear about what happened with Teman and Miles?" Ed asked and Havoc gave an agreeing nod. "Then shush and let us tell you," Ed ordered, smacking Havoc in the shoulder when the smoker had the audacity to salute him. Two yelps of pain from the back of the car told him that the Lions had gotten Keith and Lance back for their laughter. "Thank you, whoever did that," Ed said, making sure it was out loud so the two pilots heard it. Their expected grumbles had him smirking before he cleared his throat lightly and started describing what had happened in Scar's dining room/living room that morning.

_Flashback…_

_Ed and Al had just wrapped up another story of Mustang trying and failing to hide his paperwork from Hawkeye when the Lions suddenly focused on the front door. The pilots and Ed were barely able to repeat the warning that they were about to have guests to Mustang and Al when the door opened to permit Scar entrance. The Ishvalen took in the Lions and Paladins around his table and Ed was surprised to see he looked somewhat relieved to see them there. Before he had any chance to try and figure out why, Scar was standing to the side to allow his guests to join him._

_Miles was the first to enter and although Ed wouldn't have been able to articulate exactly what kind of reaction he was expecting from the half-Ishvalen, he was rather taken aback when all that happened was Miles' eyes widening slightly as he took in the Lions and strangers before his mask was back in place and he was moving to the side for Teman. Ed knew from the glances shared by the pilots that they were just as shocked by how little shock Miles had shown and it made Ed wonder if somehow General Olivier Armstrong had told Miles everything Ed had told her about his interdimensional travels. He didn't think she would've since most of the Armstrongs he'd met were almost as big on keeping their promises as he was but, Ed thought wryly, you never could quite be certain about anything when it came to the eldest Armstrong sibling. Except for the fact that she'd run you through with her sword without a second thought if you displeased her in any way._

" _What exactly is going on here?" Teman's voice broke Ed out of his thoughts and the blonde flushed slightly when he realised he'd completely forgotten about the Ishvalen elder. Teman looked remarkably calm for someone who was now face to face with five Lions the same size as him. In fact, Teman looked like he was more outraged that he didn't know what was happening than concerned about the Lions and Ed found himself envying him for that._

_No one spoke a word until Scar shut the front door securely and it was Mustang who first spoke up. "What did Scar tell you on your walk over, Master Teman?"_

_Teman levelled Mustang with a cool look. "He only told me that everyone was meeting in his home to discuss what had happened last night," Teman informed him. Scar nodded once behind Teman to confirm his mentor's words._

" _Then please allow me to start this explanation with some introductions so we all know each other by name," Mustang requested and after a few moments, Teman and Miles gave agreeable nods. "The five strangers and five Lions you see behind me are an elite unit in their home country known as Voltron," Mustang said before delving into the personal introductions. "Voltron, these are Master Teman, an Ishvalen elder, and Major Miles, an Ishvalen elder and the official liaison for Amestris," Mustang said, turning to Voltron and gesturing to the two men in turn as he introduced them._

" _It's a pleasure to meet the both of you," Shiro said, bowing slightly to the two newcomers. The four other Paladins and the five Lions mimicked Shiro's actions. Ed almost laughed at the flummoxed expressions on Teman's and Miles' faces at the sight of the Lions bowing to them._

" _The honour is ours," Teman said once he managed to school his expression. "I apologise for my blunt manner but why are you here? For that matter,_ how _are you here? You do not look like you're from any country I know of," Teman said, eyes suspicious._

" _From what General Mustang and Edward have told us, our country is unknown to your people and the Amestrians," Shiro told him. "As for how and why we're here, those questions can be answered together," Shiro said. "For longer than anyone can remember, our country has been at war with a neighbouring country that was once our ally. Due to a misunderstanding, our neighbouring country's leader declared war against us and proceeded to try and annihilate us and we have since then been at war with them," Shiro started explaining, making sure he stuck to the parameters of the cover story they'd just spent the morning discussing._

" _The leader of our country was killed in the initial attack as he tried to protect his daughter and one of his closest friends. Both suffered injuries severe enough they were placed in comas for years until our medicine developed enough to try and save them," Shiro continued. "The efforts of our doctors paid off and they both came out of their comas with minimal lingering issues." Both Teman and Miles raised their eyebrows in surprise and for good reason, in Ed's mind. It was unheard of for someone to suffer physical injuries that had them stay in comas for years before waking up with no lingering health problems. "Under their leadership, our country started to develop living weapons that would be near indestructible to be used for the frontlines," Shiro told them._

"' _Living weapons'?" Miles asked, interrupting before Shiro could continue and his eyes fell to the Lions. "Are they the weapons you refer to?" he asked, nodding to the Lions._

_Black lifted a lip in a silent snarl at Miles' interruption but when Shiro placed a hand on her head to sooth her, she immediately quieted down. "They are," Shiro confirmed. "Our people have always lived side-by-side lions and when our neighbours attacked, they almost killed all of them." Shiro's voice turned sad enough that even Ed was almost convinced he was telling the truth. "The lions that were left were initially bred so we could grow their population once more but our scientists in charge of the program started noticing peculiar behavourial traits amongst some of the cubs. When those cubs were old enough to breed, those traits became more pronounced and our scientists realised that the lions' behaviour was evolving to help them survive the war." Shiro cleared his throat and his expression turned pinched, as though he was about to tell them something he didn't want to._

" _They became attached to us, working alongside our forces on the front line," Shiro told Teman and Miles. "Our intent with the program was simply to bring their population back up and release them into the wild. With no interference by us, the second and third generations bred under our program started joining our countrymen on the front lines," Shiro said, making sure to sound awed, as though he still couldn't believe it. "When our scientists noticed, they brought it to the attention of our leaders and they ordered the scientists to select several male and female lions with the most desirable traits so they could produce offspring that would hopefully be able to be trained alongside select people to work as a unit who could infiltrate the enemy's strongholds and cripple them. The hope was that the lion would be able to pick up on threats long before the human could and help them live to complete each mission," Shiro informed them._

" _And these are those lions?" Teman asked, looking at the five Lions with disbelief and suspicion. It was obvious Teman was not quite buying what Shiro was telling them._

" _No, these Lions are the products of the fourth generation created by the scientists under orders of our leaders," Shiro told him. "The five Lions in front of you are the results of crossing multiple bloodlines – each with a sought-after trait – until our scientists believed we couldn't improve any further," Shiro said, rubbing Black's ear affectionately. "These five Lions are the last of the breeding program. All five are female and our scientists are firm in their belief that allowing them to breed with any male would result in inferior cubs for the program."_

" _Why are they such unusual colours? I will admit to having never seen a lion in real life but I have not heard of a single blue or red lion. From all the stories I have heard, lions are primarily tan, with a white lion being rare but not unheard of," Teman said and Ed wondered if perhaps this was the reason Teman couldn't believe the story._

" _Our scientists wanted an easy way to tell the cubs apart and our leaders wanted a way to know who they were sending into battle at a glance so they dyed the lions a different colour each, starting from the day they were born. Over time, the dye was reapplied and now it's permanently stained their hair," Shiro answered without missing a beat. Teman still didn't look fully onboard with the tale they were telling but no one was willing to call the older Ishvalen out on it._

" _I apologise if this sounds harsh but why were the five of you chosen to be their – how would you even class yourselves to them?" Miles asked, both suspicious and – to a barely noticeable degree – curious._

" _Humans. We're their humans and they are our lions," Shiro told him and both Miles and Teman nodded in understanding. "We weren't actually chosen by our country's leader to be their humans. We weren't even considered for it. The Lions chose us after several small things led to us being introduced," Shiro admitted. Ed sensed no dishonesty from him since, considering what he knew of how the five of them first met and how they actually met the Lions, what Shiro had said was pretty close to the truth. Sensing the question both Miles and Teman wanted to ask, Shiro gave a small sigh and answered it for them._

" _I was captured by the enemy during a mission and held prisoner for a year. I was presumed dead by my country so no one was searching for me, though I didn't know that," Shiro told them, voice tense with emotions brought up by the memory of his kidnapping by Haggar and the Galra. "The only person who didn't believe that was Keith, someone who I'd met several months before my failed mission and who I had grown to consider my brother." Keith's cheeks pinkened slightly and Ed grinned at the teasing cooing coming from Red. "He deserted the training camp we'd both attended so he could try and figure out where I was and how he could rescue me when I stumbled back into our territory with no memory of how I got there or what had happened to me during the time I'd spent as a prisoner," Shiro said._

" _A few soldiers and some scientists found me first and naturally, they were worried I'd been brainwashed by the enemy to be a sleeper agent of sorts so they held me in quarantine until they could figure out what had happened to me. Losing my memory was something that neither helped my case nor helped lessen their suspicion," Shiro went on to tell them. "Somehow, Keith had figured out I was back in our country and when he got to where I was being quarantined, he busted me out. Unbeknownst to us, three members of the training camp Keith had abandoned had snuck out and saw the commotion. Recognising the two of us, Lance, Pidge and Hunk helped us get away from the soldiers and scientists and to an old shack Keith had found and was living in while he searched for me," Shiro revealed and both Hunk and Lance squirmed slightly under the gaze of Teman and Miles. Pidge lifted her chin stubbornly and met them with a challenging look, daring them to try and say something._

" _If your people were trying to help you, why did these four think they weren't?" Miles asked._

" _Our," Keith hesitated for a moment as he tried to figure out the word he should use, "government had declared Shiro dead. For all I knew, they would get the information about the enemy he could've picked up out of him then kill him rather than risk him being a brainwashed double agent or something," Keith told them brusquely._

" _My brother and father were part of Shiro's team for the mission he was leader of. They disappeared with him and our government tried to tell my mother and I that they had all been killed but we knew they hadn't been," Pidge said, her voice filled with the same conviction it had always carried when she spoke of her family before they'd found them. "I recognised Shiro and knew he could have the answers I needed to find my family so I helped Keith. I didn't want to risk the government trying to cover up Shiro's reappearance and lose my only shot at finding my father and brother," Pidge told them._

" _Pidge was our teammate while we attended the training camp," Lance said before Miles or Teman could ask. "We had her back, even if it meant risking expulsion from the training camp or possibly being shot," he told them with a small shrug while Hunk nodded in solidarity behind him. Pidge couldn't stop herself from giving Lance a wide, happy grin that had him flushing in embarrassment and ruffling her hair in an effort to get rid of his blushing._

" _So the lions?" Teman asked, pushing them back onto track._

" _Yes, the Lions," Shiro said, giving Black a small smile. "No one knew, of course, about the breeding programs or what the scientists were trying to achieve. Other than being told that they were trying to revive the current population of lions since they couldn't hide the evidence of lions being kept inside a large laboratory," he told them, "so, like the rest of our country, we had no clue they existed or why they existed." Both Miles and Teman looked far too sympathetic for Shiro to not realise that they could relate somewhat and it took him a moment to recall the homunculi and their well-hidden plans for both countries that involved the Amestrian military higher-ups keeping information from the rest of the country._

" _Keith had noted several unusual things out near the shack he'd claimed possession of during the months he spent searching for me but because they didn't have anything to do with me, he never pursued them," Shiro explained, continuing his explanation. "Lance, however, was very interested and he decided to go exploring a cave system that seemed to be attracting more attention by our soldiers and scientists than we thought necessary. When he snuck inside, he found Blue in one of the caves," Shiro said, making sure to add a touch of reprimand to his voice when he spoke about Lance's risk-taking._

 _Lance ducked his head slightly. "I thought they were doing experiments on her and were hurting her so I got her out of the cave she was in," Lance said, putting on the air of admitting to something he knew he'd do again, despite the ramifications it caused. "We headed back for the shack and were met halfway there by these guys. They'd noticed me going missing and decided to follow me. They were_ not _impressed by the fact that I had a Lion following me," Lance said with a small chuckle that had even Miles and Teman quirking their lips upwards for a moment._

" _We had no idea why there was a blue lion or how it came into existence but we knew it had to have been extremely important to our military so we forced Lance to take us to where he found her so we could return her. We didn't want any extra heat so close to where we were hiding out," Shiro explained and Miles gave a slight nod of approval. "When we got to the cave system though, something odd happened. It felt like something was telling us to find something, a feeling in our gut and heart that wouldn't leave us alone," Shiro told them, a small frown on his face as though he still couldn't figure it out._

" _We listened to it," Hunk said bluntly, feeling like it was his turn to add to the cover story. "I found Yellow pretty quickly and Pidge found Green next. All five Lions were in their own caves, separated from one another but waiting for something. We had no idea they were being monitored, as stupid as it sounds now. None of us were worried about the security measures taken to protect them. The moment Lance found and took Blue, the military were notified," Hunk told them, an ashamed expression on his face that had Yellow rubbing up against him._

" _Before we could try and get out of the cave system, we found ourselves facing armed soldiers who seemed to have no patience for our pleading for them to not arrest us," Shiro said, a wry smile on his face. "To theirs and our surprise, the Lions wouldn't let them within reaching distance of us. Even when we went to surrender, the Lions kept herding us away from the soldiers. Not even the scientists who had raised the Lions could get them to relax and allow the soldiers near them. The situation escalated so much that the leader of our country and her closest advisor were told of the problem and they immediately headed for the cave system to see it with their own eyes."_

" _That was when we'd found out what purpose the Lions were supposed to serve," Shiro said, meeting Teman's and Miles' eyes. "The military had been trying for months to pair the Lions up with humans who were both trustworthy enough and well-trained so they could be sent out as a unit but the Lions wanted nothing to do with the humans chosen. At first, our military feared the Lions' behaviour had devolved to that of their ancestors but they soon realised that the Lions simply didn't trust the humans chosen for them," Shiro explained. "The five of us were the first humans who had not only been able to approach and touch the Lions – aside from the scientists who'd raised them – but we were the first humans who the Lions had tried protecting from something they saw as a threat," he revealed._

" _Naturally, this intrigued our leader and once she'd seen their behaviour with her own eyes, she declared that we would be trained alongside our Lions until we were fit to be sent on missions," Shiro told them. "She copped a lot of backlash considering 4 out of 5 of us hadn't graduated the training camp, one of those four had actually been expelled from the training camp and I had been held captive for a year by the enemy and hadn't been physically cleared, let alone mentally cleared to return to combat but our leader ignored everyone, telling them over and over again that the Lions trusted us so she did as well," Shiro said, allowing a small but fond smile to creep onto his face._

" _How long have you been training together for?" Teman asked curiously. Unlike the few times Ed had glanced over to him during the explanation being given (he didn't want to risk Teman or Miles seeing something on his face that would give the whole thing away as a fabrication) he didn't see as much suspicion on Teman's face this time._

" _Nearly a year," Shiro answered promptly. "We've been going on missions nearly as long since the need for Voltron came far quicker than any of us thought it would. We actually managed to cut down the two leaders of our enemy forces just over six months ago so most of our missions have simply been rescuing prisoners and taking care of any enemy forces who were trying to become leader so they could continue the war their predecessors had started," Shiro told them before they could ask and neither man bothered to hide their surprise at that._

" _It sounds as though you've nearly won your war," Teman said and Shiro gave a small nod._

" _We're hoping that in another few months, we can start discussing peace treaties with whoever steps up to take control of our neighbouring country," Shiro told him, a touch of wistfulness in his voice and no one missed the hopeful expressions on most of the other Paladins' faces._

" _So why are you in Ishval now?" Teman asked bluntly._

_Shiro gave a small, frustrated sigh. "A mission of ours went south," he told them. "The son of the two leaders we took care of came out of the woodwork, trying to finish what his parents had started," Shiro said. "Unbeknownst to us, Lotor was one of a very, very few who could manipulate and weaponise an energy called 'quintessence' so we were unprepared for it when we went up against him. We're not entirely sure of what happened but one moment we were in our country and fighting Lotor then the next there's a massive blinding flash of light and we're in a desert none of us know with Lotor nowhere in sight," Shiro told them, sounding as perplexed as he should've if that situation had really happened._

" _So how did you end up here in Scar's home?" Teman asked, not letting go of the question until his curiosity had been satisfied._

" _That would be me," Ed said, speaking before Shiro could try and all eyes fell on him. "That migraine that came and went suddenly last night," Ed said and Teman nodded, remembering the pain etched in Ed's face, "I think it was caused by them turning up," Ed told him. "We found them about an hour out of Ishval and their arrival coincides with the migraine. I can't be sure of course since I was in a lot of pain and not focusing on much else but I think I picked up on the quintessence being used and it affected me physically," Ed revealed, as though it was something he hadn't voiced previously._

" _Why didn't you tell me any of that last night?" Mustang asked demandingly and Ed rolled his eyes._

" _Maybe because I didn't know what had happened myself," Ed snapped. "That's the first time I heard them mention quintessence so how the hell would I have known?" Ed growled as Al laid a restraining hand on his shoulder._

" _Why do you think you were affected by it when no one else was?" Teman asked, hoping to prevent a fight whilst also getting a question answered._

" _I'm not sure," Ed admitted. "It could be because I'm a strong alchemist, it could have been a coincidence and my migraine wasn't connected to it at all or it could've been because of something else entirely," Ed told him._

" _If it were because you were an alchemist, don't you think your brother and General Mustang would've also been affected?" Miles asked._

" _Brother is a strong alchemist, stronger than me and General Mustang," Al told him, loosening his grip on Ed's shoulder so it was more supportive and less retraining. Mustang scowled slightly but didn't put up any argument to what Al had said. "He's always been more sensitive to alchemic energy than we have, sensing alchemic traps before we could. That could be the reason why he was affected and we weren't. Of course, like he said, his migraine may not have even been connected to that event at all. We just don't know," Al repeated, shrugging his shoulder._

" _How did you locate these strangers?" Teman asked Ed curiously._

_Ed shrugged the shoulder Al's hand wasn't on. "There was a massive flash of light. At first I'd thought it was a lightning strike but my gut told me it was something more," Ed told him. "Scar was willing to lead us in the direction of the strike until we either found something or decided there was nothing out there. About an hour or so from here, we stumbled across them. It took them several minutes to convince us they weren't a threat," Ed said with a small smirk at Shiro, who had sighed in exasperation, "but they managed to and they told us their story. Then it took them several more minutes to convince us they were telling the truth but we eventually realised they were and Scar was nice enough to let them stay here for the night," Ed said, nodding to Scar. The Ishvalen didn't look too pleased with being brought into the conversation but he didn't say or do anything to deny what Ed or the others had said up to this point._

" _This Lotor fellow you said you were fighting," Teman said, changing subjects and addressing the Paladins and bringing everyone's attention back to them, "do you know what happened to him?"_

" _Not for sure," Shiro admitted, "but we do believe he was brought here with us," he revealed. "I remember the light enveloping the ten of us and him and since we're here…" Shiro trailed off pointedly and Teman gave a small nod._

" _You think he is as well," Teman finished. Shiro's nod merely confirmed the words and Teman sighed. "What are your plans now?" he asked._

" _We believe that since Lotor wasn't near us when we woke up in the desert and no one saw him when we were trying to find our way to some sort of town or civilisation for help, it means he went in the opposite direction to us," Shiro told him._

" _Which is Resembool," Ed said, interjecting himself into the conversation. "Mustang's already sent Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc to pick up an extra car and keep an eye out for Lotor during their drive but we need to get back to Amestris and they are going with us," Ed told Teman. "Resembool's mine and Al's hometown. We have family and friends there and we won't risk someone as dangerous as this Lotor bloke wandering into town and hurting anyone because we didn't leave here immediately," he informed the two men when it looked like one of them would say something about their plans to leave Ishval earlier than anticipated._

_Teman studied the group in front of him for a few moments before nodding. "Very well," he said. "I will not stand in your way. Lotor sounds like a danger to everyone and I will not be the reason you cannot get to him before he hurts someone. I'll smooth everything over with the other Ishvalen elders and we will be in contact with Fuhrer Grumman to arrange another time for this check-up to be continued," Teman told them. "I do ask that none of our latest arrivals allow themselves to be seen by anyone outside of this room, your captain and lieutenant obviously excepted from that condition, General," Teman said, looking over at Mustang who gave a nod of agreement. "Miles and I will ask Scar to accompany us for the morning but we will be back with supplies for lunch since I doubt Scar has enough here for everyone to eat and leave him food for tomorrow."_

" _I'd be happy to put money or whatever towards replacing the food you give them," Ed immediately said, repeating his offer to Scar earlier that morning._

" _We'll see how much is required and discuss that with you later, Edward," Teman said before Scar could interject and Ed nodded his agreement._

" _We apologise for any troubles our appearance has caused," Shiro couldn't help but say. He truly did feel bad for putting Scar out and causing an obvious rift between the two Ishvalen men and Scar, though he wasn't sure exactly what they'd done to cause it._

_Teman gave him a smile that was far warmer than it had been before. "You've caused us no troubles we can't recover quickly from," Teman assured him. "We merely ask that you stay inside so that no panic is caused by your lions," Teman repeated and Shiro gave him a firm nod._

" _Of course," Shiro told him. "We are happy to do so if it'll help keep the peace amongst your people," he said._

" _Much appreciated," Teman said before he turned to Miles and Scar. "We'd best be heading off to find our fellow elders before they become worried about our tardiness," he told them and received two grunts of agreement. "We'll see the rest of you at lunch time," Teman said, turning back to the group._

" _See you then, Master Teman," Mustang said, dipping into a low bow before straightening once more. Teman gave a nod before he and the two other Ishvalens left Scar's home, closing the door tightly behind them._

_End flashback…_

"I'll admit it; I did _not_ think Shiro would be that good at lying but I'll be damned if I don't almost believe that story to be true," Havoc said once Ed finished detailing the conversation, Keith and Lance inputting into the recollection where they wanted while Blue, Red and Green stayed mostly silent.

"Usually he can't lie for shit," Keith said, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips and in his voice, "but he has picked up a few tricks these last few months," he told them.

"I remember thinking when I first met him that I didn't think he'd be able to lie to save his own life," Ed said, recalling the first real interaction he'd had with Shiro, which had been when the Black Paladin had made the mistake of touching him after they'd been thrown out of Truth's dimension after Ed and it had struck their deal.

" _I hope you know that I'm telling Shiro everything,"_ Black said to Ed, a grin in her voice.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Ed told her honestly, a smile of his own on his face. "How's everything going in your car? Ready to kill Mustang yet?" Ed asked and received a huff of amusement in response.

" _Not yet. I think Captain Hawkeye has been a little too efficient in making him behave himself. Either that or it's the lack of you to annoy,"_ Black informed and chuckled when she felt Ed's scowl.

"Probably a mixture of both, though he would deny any of it if you asked him," Ed muttered. He saw Havoc glance at him, likely trying to figure out what had caused the annoyed scowl to appear on his face but Ed decided against explaining for the moment.

" _Most likely,"_ Black hummed in agreement. _"I cannot wait to get out of this car. We're not going to be travelling like this to Central, are we?"_ she asked and Ed's flash of guilt at how uncomfortable the Lions must be was immediately replaced by a slight panic. He had _no_ clue how they were going to get to Central.

"We'll have to talk about it with Mustang," Ed told her finally, a little peeved that he couldn't think of a solution everyone would agree, "but there are only three options back to Central: train, car or walking," Ed warned her and he felt her deflate slightly.

" _I don't think I would mind the train but I guess it would depend on whether or not Mustang and the others agree it's a good idea for us to be known before Central,"_ Black said with a small sigh. _"If we have to travel by car, do you think we could convince Mustang to sign out a third car and let Shiro drive it?"_ she asked hopefully. If there were three cars, they could split so there would be five people and Lions per car rather the uncomfortable 8-7 split they were now.

"You know what?" Ed said thoughtfully. "We're gonna ask because not only do I think it's a good idea – so long as the train is definitely not an option and Shiro can drive our cars – but I also think Mustang's reaction would be funny," Ed said with a grin that had Havoc looking a little worried.

Black snorted in amusement. _"Of course that's part of why you want to ask,"_ she said though Ed could feel her eagerness to see Mustang's reaction as strongly as if it were his own.

"Hey, I am a man of very few simple pleasures and pulling this sort of shit on Mustang is one of them," Ed informed her. Black's chuckles reverberated in his mind and he felt the four other Lions' curiousity and a small amount of jealousy that they were left out of the conversation.

" _Sometimes I think you take a little_ too _much pleasure in doing this sort of thing to your commanding officer,"_ Black said and Ed raised a brow in surprise.

"Are you coming to Mustang's defence?" Ed asked incredulously. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Black?" Ed asked jokingly and Black rolled her eyes.

" _I never said that it was a bad thing,"_ she pointed out. _"In fact, I think you'll find the five of us will enjoy encouraging it thoroughly,"_ she said, a mild maliciousness in her voice.

"Are you still salty about those memory snippets of mine you built your first opinion on Mustang from?" Ed asked her and – despite not being able to see her – knew she was fidgeting sheepishly.

" _A little, yes,"_ she confirmed after a moment and Ed let out a small sigh through his nose.

"You know he apologised for what he'd done. He apologised _twice_ and you all heard him when he did," Ed reminded her. Since it had been nearly four months since Belmont had been found and arrested, resulting in Mustang's release and consequential discussion of why the Lions had disliked him so much, Ed was surprised to learn the Lions were still holding a grudge for the same reason and he was even more surprised that he hadn't noticed.

" _We know and we know he meant the apologies, not only for that but for what he said to you when you gave him the news that Alphonse had been attacked and Captain Hawkeye had been kidnapped – I don't think you want to know what we had planned for him if he hadn't done so as genuinely as he did – and we also know we shouldn't be holding anything against him now but we still are and even I don't really know why,"_ Black admitted. There was an undertone of annoyance in her voice but Ed knew it was aimed at herself.

"Firstly; I kinda really wanna know what the five of you had been plotting," Ed told her firmly, a victorious feeling rolling through him when she chuckled, "and secondly; I don't know why you haven't let it go completely but could you try?" Ed asked, a little shocked that he was even asking.

Ed knew that even six months ago he would've been relishing in the Lions attitude towards Mustang, even going so far as to encourage it but after having spent the last four months learning flame alchemy from Mustang – something that meant they were by themselves for at least an hour three or four times a week, if they could manage it – he couldn't let it stand. Mustang _had_ apologised, he _had_ been completely genuine about it and Ed was more than happy to let bygones be bygones, except on the rare occasions when he had a bad day but he didn't count those since everyone brought up old grudges to throw in someone's face when they had a bad day. Because of that and because Ed was a big believer in not holding onto a grudge on behalf of someone if they had already let it go, Ed couldn't let the Lions continue in doing so. If they wanted to continue disliking Mustang, they'd have to find their own reasons.

" _We can try,"_ Black told him, voice a touch more pessimistic about the chances of success than Ed would've liked but he decided to take it. He couldn't force them to start liking Mustang, after all, and if he was being honest, he wouldn't even really know how to start accomplishing a goal like that. He hadn't even started allowing himself to warm up to Mustang until after Promised Day, though he did think he had some pretty solid reasons for not doing so.

"I'll take it," Ed said, dropping the subject. "Now, are you gonna tell me what you and the others had been plotting to do to Mustang if he hadn't apologised?" he asked all five Lions eagerly, sinking into his seat a little as he heard five sets of laughter answer him before Red started talking.

* * *

"Chief?" Havoc's voice brought Ed out of the stupor he'd been in for the past twenty or so minutes that had seen him staring out the window without seeing the dark landscape slipping by.

"Yeah?" Ed said, stretching as much as he could as he straightened from his slouch. He hated travelling in cars because – unlike trains – he couldn't sleep when they were moving. The only time he'd even come close had been when he'd used too much energy in America during both visits and had to be driven somewhere he could nap so he could recover.

"We're coming past the cemetery in Resembool now," Havoc warned him and Ed straightened up further, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"How you haven't fallen asleep and crashed the car yet is beyond me," Ed grumbled at Havoc, who simply grinned at him in response. Ed could see the black bags under the eyes of the normally energetic lieutenant and wondered if he could somehow talk Mustang into letting the smoker sleep in a bit. "Black?" Ed called through their bond and felt the Lion hum in response. "Can you ask Shiro to tell Mustang to let me or Al out first? We need to grab Den so he doesn't have a heart attack when he sees you guys," Ed explained.

" _Of course. We wouldn't want that,"_ Black said, recalling the friendly but protective collie dog from Ed's memories. A few moments passed before she got back to him. _"Mustang muttered something I'll get him back on your behalf for later but he agreed,"_ she told him.

Ed thought about asking but decided to let it play out as a surprise so he couldn't be blamed for it. "Thanks, girl," Ed said gratefully. Even if he wasn't as fond of the old dog as he was, he didn't think Den dropping from a heart attack brought on by the sudden appearance of five Lions – the smallest of which could eat him for a snack – would endure Pinako to any of the strangers.

Ed barely heard Black's response as he watched the cemetery rolled past under what moonlight there was. His eyes found his parents' gravestones with ease and he noted that he and Al would have to find some time during this trip to come down and clean them again. The wet season had been and gone, delivering more rain than the average told the Resembool townspeople they would get and so the grass, wildflowers and weeds were growing at a rapid rate, covering Trisha and Hohenheim's gravestones quickly, as though nature wanted to claim back the stone they had been carved from.

"You're gonna have to direct me from here, Chief. I've only been out to your grandmother's once and that was during the daytime, nearly ten hours and three cups of coffee ago," Havoc said and Ed nodded, paying attention to the road once more. There was no noise from the back and he assumed the two teenagers travelling with them had given in to their exhaustion. The Lions, on the other hand, were still awake but they were content with staying quiet for now.

It didn't take long for Ed to spot the hill the ruins of their house sat on. "Two lefts from here," Ed instructed and Havoc gave a nod.

The headlights of the car were doing their best to light their way but the yellow light wasn't as strong as Ed knew the cars in America had. Still, they did catch the sign that sat just beyond the Rockbell's driveway, alerting people to the fact that an automail mechanic and surgeon lived there. Havoc pulled into the drive first and Ed took the opportunity to make sure the second car followed them. With Hawkeye at the wheel, he had no doubts it would but it made him feel better to physically watch the car do so.

When he turned back to face the front windscreen, he saw the Rockbell house come into view for the first time in almost two months. As Pinako usually did when she was expected late night visitors, the porch light was on and front door open. Ed could see the lights in the kitchen and living room shining through the open door and window but no lights upstairs were lit, telling Ed that Pinako hadn't gone to bed yet and that Winry definitely wasn't here. He hadn't truly expected the mechanic to be in Resembool since neither Havoc nor Hawkeye had mentioned seeing her and the last he'd heard from Winry, she was going to be in Rush Valley until the Promised Day memorial, which she would attend with Pinako before coming home to Resembool to cater to her clients in the east for a couple of weeks, after which she would head back to Rush Valley and Garfiel's shop.

As he'd expected, Den came rushing out to meet them as quick as his automail leg would allow him, barking wildly at the strange cars coming up his drive. A nod to Havoc had the smoker pulling the car over, being cautious not to hit the dog, before Ed got out so he could calm Den down. He heard stifled snorts coming from the back seat when the car pulled to a stop, indicating that whoever had been asleep back there was now awake.

"Easy, Den. It's just me," Ed said, crouching once he'd shut the car door. Den, upon recognising one of his favourite humans, switched from territorial mode to friendly mode in a heartbeat and raced for Ed, tail wagging a million miles an hour as he tried to lick Ed's face in his excitement. "Alright, you crazy old mutt, that's enough!" Ed laughed, pushing the dog off while also ruffling his ears in the way he knew Den loved. The other car pulled up just as Ed did and Den noticed, hackles raising and a warning growl sounding from low in his throat. Ed grabbed his collar to stop him from trying to attack whoever got out of the car first. "It's okay, Den. They're friends," Ed murmured to the collie soothingly. Den's growling didn't stop but it did die down.

When the car door opened and Al stepped out, Ed let Den's collar go and grinned when Den ran for his younger brother with just as much enthusiasm as he'd done for Ed. His grin turned into laughter when Den successfully bowled Al over in his haste and he smirked when Al glared at him while trying to wrangle the excited dog. Turning to the car he'd travelled in; he gave the occupants a nod. Turning back, he managed to catch Al's eye and gestured to Den. Al caught on immediately and grabbed him by the collar before leading him a little further away from the cars. Once Ed thought there was a good distance between the dog and the cars, Ed gave Yellow and Black the okay to get out with their pilots.

The doors on the cars opened almost simultaneously. The Amestrians were the first out but the pilots and Lions followed soon after. As Ed had predicted, the moment Den spotted the first Lion, he went berserk. Teeth gnashing as Den barked ferociously at them, spit flew everywhere as Al used every ounce of his strength to keep a hold of the dog. Ed saw the moment Al lost his grip but he'd been quick to move to prevent it. His right hand clamped down on Den's collar, accidentally grabbing a bunch of skin and fur as well but Den didn't even notice. Al stumbled back when Den's frantic momentum was taken from him but he managed to catch himself.

"Thanks, Brother. Don't think I would've kept hold of him much longer," Al said, panting slightly as he opened and closed his hand to try and ease the cramped muscles. Despite his age, Den could still put up one helluva fight if he wanted to, whether he could win against the opponent or not.

"All good, Al," Ed said, keeping his grip firm. "Go up and stand with the Lions. Pat one of them or something to show Den they're friendly before we find out if Winry's automail will hold up against a determined border collie," Ed said. Though he couldn't feel Den's determination to get loose as much as Al could, the tugging to his shoulder port was starting to irritate the scarring there and Ed really didn't want to wake up with a bruised and painful shoulder.

Alphonse didn't hesitate to do as his brother asked and walked right up to Yellow. After whispering something to her that Ed couldn't hear over Den's growling, Yellow gave a nod and Al placed a hand on her head, scratching behind her ear gently. As Ed had hoped, Den's growling subsided significantly and he gave a small sigh of relief. Al looked back over and saw that Ed was now able to kneel at Den's side rather than bracing himself against the pulls from the dog. The two brothers shared a look and Al gave a small nod before turning to the Paladins, making sure to keep his hand in Yellow's fur, just in case.

"Head over one at a time and let Ed introduce you to Den. I'm not sure how we're gonna do the Lions as yet but this way at least Den won't be trying to eat you lot. Probably," Al said, adding on the last part as an afterthought. Den usually didn't try to attack someone if Ed, Al, Winry or Pinako had introduced them and was there with him but there had been a couple of incidents several years ago that taught them not to think one introduction would win Den over.

None of the Paladins looked overly comforted by Al's words but Shiro decided to bite the bullet and go first. Walking up to the pair, he froze slightly when Den growled at him. Ed was quick to soothe the dog and beckon Shiro closer. "Easy, Den. This is Shiro. Shiro's nice," Ed said to the dog, speaking calmly before he looked back up to Shiro. "Sorry, usually he's a lot calmer with strangers. We had no issues with the BAU when they were here but the Lions have really freaked him out," Ed explained apologetically but Shiro waved it off.

"I don't blame him. If I saw a bunch of massive Lions I didn't know outside my home, I don't think I would be all that calm about it either," he assured Ed with a chuckle that got Ed grinning. Doing what he would've done on Earth, Shiro held his flesh hand out for Den to sniff, making sure it wasn't too close that the collie dog could get him before Shiro could snatch his hand back. Much to both Shiro and Ed's relief, Den seemed to accept the Black Paladin with no issues and Shiro was able to scratch the dog behind the ear.

"Well, that's one of you down. Let's see how the other nine go," Ed said, a wry grin on his face.

* * *

The introductions of the other Paladins and reintroductions of Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc all went just about as smoothly as Shiro's had. The only one who seemed nervous was – surprisingly – Pidge. As she explained it, even though her family had a dog, she was still wary around them ever since she'd been bitten by one as a small child. Ed could understand that which was why he let her take her time to work up the courage to approach a still-tense Den. The look of disgust and relief on her face when Den licked her hand had Ed valiantly trying to hold back chuckles at her expense. He couldn't contain them when she walked away, holding her hand out away from her body as though it were contaminated.

However, the battle was only half won. The humans had gotten Den's seal of approval but next were the Lions and Ed had no idea how this introduction was going to go. He was starting to cramp from his kneeling position and he found himself thankful for his automail hand – something he rarely was when not in a fight – since he knew it would be very cramped otherwise. Shifting slightly, he gave Den a pat between the ears with his flesh hand before looking up to locate his brother.

"What do you think, Al?" Ed asked, looking pointedly between Den and the Lions.

Alphonse didn't say anything for a few moments as he contemplated. "What are the chances of him acting like he did when Mr. Stevens first brought his rottweiler here?" Al asked and now Ed was the one contemplating.

The rottweiler in question was a friendly thing but hadn't met too many dogs before, which was part of the reason their neighbour had brought him by in the first place. Den wasn't used to other dogs on the property – the boys never having one growing up and no one really thought to bring their dog to Pinako's when they were too busy bleeding out from a major injury – so for him to see another dog on his property was rare and unwanted. Once Pinako had managed to calm Den down enough that she believed he wouldn't do something stupid, Den had stuck by her side for entirety of Mr. Stevens visit and kept his eyes on the rottweiler. The moment the rottweiler was out of sight and off the property, Den had shifted back into his usual placid self like nothing had happened, according to Pinako.

"Literally have no clue but we're about to find out. Don't eat him, please," Ed asked the Lions as he let go of Den's collar and straightened before Al could sound any sort of protest. The Lions all huffed in amusement as they eyed the dog warily. Though they knew Den wouldn't damage them too badly if he did attack them, they still would rather not be attacked at all.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Ed let go of Den, even Mustang and Hawkeye, but, thankfully, Den did exactly what Al thought he might do. He didn't stray an inch from Ed's leg as he glared at the Lions standing in front of his home. Ed took a few steps forward, a little cautiously in case Den did decide to try to rush the Lions and he had to move quickly to stop him but Den matched him step by step. Shrugging a shoulder, Ed moved at a quicker pace so he could join the others but he did stop a little further away than he would've usually done, not wanting to push the collie further than necessary.

" _Should we be doing anything?"_ Blue asked, her eyes flicking between Den and Ed.

"I don't know," Ed admitted. "Maybe each of you should take a step closer, kind of meet me in the middle? If he sees that I'm not worried about you, hopefully he'll settle down, though it may take him a couple of days," Ed said with a small frown.

" _Good a plan as any,"_ Blue said casually before she did as Ed suggested and took a step forward when he did.

Den's hackles went right back up but when Ed gave Blue a scratch, he calmed down once more. Now that they were closer to the Lions, Den seemed to be a bit braver and took a few steps of his own so he was close enough to sniff at Blue. After a good minute or two, Den seemed to back off and Ed almost laughed at the confused expression on the old dog's face. He had no clue what Den had picked up but he bet it made no sense to him whatsoever.

"I think that went well," Ed said, ruffling Blue's ears once more before she backed off. He ignored Mustang's snort from behind him as he faced the other Lions. "Who's next?"

One by one, the four remaining Lions took their turns introducing themselves to Den. Both Yellow and Black had Den a lot more worried since they were by far the biggest Lions but after several minutes, Den seemed to have accepted all of the newcomers. That didn't mean he was leaving Ed's side any time soon and Ed wondered if he was going to end up sharing a bed with the collie dog now that he'd attached himself to Ed as his human while there were strange people and strange animals in his home.

A voice Ed and Al hadn't heard in person for over two months sounded from the front porch. "If you've all finished stirring my dog up, would you mind getting inside before the neighbours start asking questions?" Pinako Rockbell asked as she stood with one hand on her hip, the other holding her pipe and a cross expression on her face. "Not only will your cars have attracted attention from them but those Lions surely will if someone decides to come and see what the military wants with me," she grumbled at them. "I don't need to deal with nosy neighbours this late at night and Ed and Al have already caused me enough trouble today by asking me to put up with far more people than this house was designed for." A glare was sent Ed and Al's way but only one of them visibly looked apologetic about putting Pinako out. A small sigh escaped her as she puffed on her pipe and her glare turned to everyone when no one made any effort to move. "Well? Come on in already. The kettle's just been boiled."

With that, Pinako turned her back on them and headed back into her house. Ed felt all eyes on him and he shrugged a shoulder. "Best do as the old bat says," he suggested. "Come on, Den. Let's see how cranky your mistress really is," he said to the dog before he headed up the familiar path to the porch. The sound of multiple footsteps was all he needed to know that everyone else was following his lead and he grinned as he ruffled Den's ears as they climbed up the old wooden steps and entered the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of my thanks and love to those of you who have been leaving me reviews! Just so you know, I now have a rough written plan for this story (probably should've had one before I started writing it but oh well) and it looks like there'll be at least 30 chapters for this story! Anyways, I hope you guys love me enough to leave me a review and I'll see you all next week!


	12. Chapter 12

"Help yourselves to tea or coffee," Pinako instructed croakily as she watched the fifteen people and Lions crowd her living room. She noted with amusement that her dog had firmly attached himself to Ed, sticking to the eldest Elric's leg as he continued to eye the Lions off suspiciously. "Once you're done in the kitchen, make yourselves comfortable out here. I have questions," she informed them before she put her pipe back to her lips.

"Thank you, Ms. Rockbell," Shiro said with a small bow. His arm had snaked out to grab Lance, who had just been about to beeline for the coffee, stopping the Blue Paladin in his tracks and gave the resultant pout a flat look.

"Thank you," Lance repeated as he echoed Shiro's bow while the three other Paladins did the same thing. Pinako's eyes twinkled in amusement when Shiro didn't let Lance go immediately, waiting until Pinako had made some kind of response to their thanks.

"It's no problems. At least the boys had the decency to give me enough warning so I could stock up on the basics," Pinako said, a smirk forming when Ed growled at her. That smirk widened into a grin when Al managed to stop Ed from snapping at her and when three of the five Paladins immediately raced into the kitchen.

"Ed, you want a coffee?" Lance's call from the kitchen got the blonde's attention off his grandmother, who he was trying to glare to death.

"I always want coffee!" Ed called back, grinning when he heard several snorts, both out loud and in his head. A series of bangs and crashes came from the kitchen, making Den tense up and loose a low growl. "Do you lot want a hand?" Ed asked, figuring it was the polite thing to do so that the Paladins weren't killed by either Pinako because they broke something of hers or by Den because he took the unintentional destruction as a signal of war.

"Nah, we've got it sorted now," Pidge called back. Ed found his uncertainty reflected in Shiro's face but since the Black Paladin didn't head into the kitchen to check, Ed decided to leave it. He also didn't really want to find out what would happen if one of the Lions near the kitchen moved towards him and Den while they were walking past them.

Hunk appeared from the kitchen, standing next to Yellow as he addressed the whole room. "Does anyone else want something hot to drink?"

"I'll just have a tea please," Hawkeye requested.

"Same for me," Havoc said, looking mournful he wasn't asking for coffee instead. Ed didn't blame him for wanting a coffee but knew that not everyone had his and Al's ability to be able to fall asleep within minutes of having a cup of coffee and Havoc definitely deserved his sleep after today.

Shiro, Mustang, Keith and Pinako all shook their heads no, leaving only Al to give a response. "I'll have a coffee please, Hunk," Al said.

"Sure thing," Hunk said with a grin before he disappeared back into the kitchen, though he was forced to stop so Yellow could get her ears scratched. Ed snorted at the Lion but it didn't do anything to dull her smug happiness.

"The rest of you can sit," Pinako said and not for the first time in his life, Ed admired the way she could make a suggestion sound like an order. It made him wonder if it was a trait that all women were born with considering he could list several off the top of his head right this moment who had the same ability.

Not a single person or Lion hesitated to do as she said. The three oldest Amestrians all sat on the couch that often served as a makeshift bed for the boys when they visited and were too tired to make it up the stairs or if they had guests over. Shiro and Keith didn't seem to mind as they waited for the Lions to spread themselves out so they could sit against their Lion. Ed and Al both took the last armchair, Al sitting on it while Ed took the floor. As pretty much everyone expected, Den moved with Ed and sat himself in between the blonde's legs, keeping up his vigilant watch of the Lions. Ed saw Pinako lightly slap her thigh a couple of times, the move accompanied with a light whistle but the collie dog barely looked at her.

"Guess you're definitely his assigned human for this visit," Pinako commented lightly.

"Guess so," Ed said, ruffling the dog's ears as he leaned against Al's couch. "Silly old mutt," he grumbled fondly.

"I think I understand just by context but what exactly do you mean when you say Den has assigned Ed as his human? I thought you were his owner, Ms. Rockbell?" Shiro asked curiously.

"Just 'Pinako' is fine, young man," the Rockbell matriarch informed him, tapping her pipe lightly on the coffee table next to her chair. "Den doesn't do well with, well, any sort of new animal on the property. The boys never had any pets growing up and we've only ever had Den. Many of my patients don't bother bringing their pets with them when they pay me a visit for a check-up or medical help so Den's gone most of his life without having another animal nearby," Pinako explained. "If the boys, my granddaughter, Winry, or I are with Den when someone brings their pet onto the property, Den can become very protective of his territory and he attaches himself to whichever human he trusts who is with him. Usually it's me or Winry since we both live here but there has been a time or two that a visit from the boys has coincided with someone bringing their pet with them so he's attached himself to one of them," she told him. "This behaviour generally lasts until the animal is off the property or the boys have left, if Den has chosen one of them," Pinako said, figuring that would likely be a question that would be asked.

"So Den will be accompanying Ed everywhere?" Shiro asked and both Pinako and Ed nodded. Shiro went to open his mouth to say something else but he was unintentionally cut off by Lance, Pidge and Hunk coming out of the kitchen with steaming mugs in their hands.

"Thanks, Lance," both Ed and Al said at the same time when Blue's pilot handed them their requested coffees.

"No problems," Lance said with a winning smile before he headed for Blue and settled against her.

Ed pretended not to notice the disgruntled look on Blue's face when she moved slightly to accommodate Lance and earned a small growl from Den since her movements brought her slightly closer to him and Ed. He did grin when he ruffled Den's ears and heard a grumble from Blue but he was pretty quick to cover it up by taking a sip from his coffee. Blue's yellow eyes were narrowed in suspicion but Ed was reasonably sure she couldn't prove anything so he wasn't overly worried about retribution.

"Now that we're all here," Pinako said after allowing everyone a few moments to get settled and to have a sip of their drink, if they had one, before she started asking questions, "I'd really like to know how the hell the ten of you" a gesture to the five bonded pairs "managed to get to Amestris," Pinako said. "Ed's letter didn't say much about the how or why you're here," she added, looking at Ed, who rolled his eyes.

"And risk someone reading that letter after Miss Riza and Havoc dropped it off to you and discovering alternate dimensions and travelling to them is possible? Of course I wasn't specific in that letter and you damned well know why," Ed snarked. A couple of the Paladins – despite knowing just what his relationship with Pinako was like – looked worried for his life expectancy but all Pinako did was smirk at him before looking at the pilots pointedly since they still hadn't answered her.

After glancing at the other pilots and realising they weren't about to start this conversation, Shiro took the lead in telling Pinako about everything that happened since the moment Black had to cut her conversation with Ed while he and Alphonse were on their way to the train station short. The other Paladins did eventually join in after a few minutes, giving Shiro a bit of a break from speaking. Ed only spoke to give his version of what had happened when Voltron went up against Lotor and that only happened because Lance mentioned that the weapon Lotor used affected the Lions _and_ those who were bonded to them and Pinako was sharp enough to realise it meant Ed would've been affected by it as well.

"So you're stuck in Amestris until your princess is able to get you back home," Pinako said once Shiro had finished wrapping up the story, "but until that happens, you're gonna have my boys help you find this exceedingly dangerous alien prince before he does something like destroy our country. Do I have that right?" she asked, tapping her pipe once more on the coffee table before she brought it back to her lips.

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Lance said with a firm nod.

Something Pinako said sparked something that Ed realised he'd neglected to ask before now. "Does Miss Allura even know where you are now?" he asked Voltron, preventing Pinako from saying anything she may have been about to say in response.

" _Yes,"_ Black answered. _"We were able to tell her when Green was able to place what was familiar about this dimension while we were falling through the rift. She told us to save our energy and to let her know once we have Lotor. In the meantime, she and the Holts are gonna be working on their dimension-hopping machine,"_ Black informed him. Shiro had been kind enough to repeat what Black was saying so those who weren't connected to her would know what she was saying to Ed.

"Oh good," Ed said in response.

He hadn't been sure if the Lions would be able to speak with Allura with how much distance was between them. Though he knew the Lions were bonded with Allura, just like he was, he didn't know how strong their connection with the Altean princess was so he wasn't sure if they could even speak with her while in this dimension. The fact that they had been able to and could do so again made Ed sigh a little in relief. Now they wouldn't have to find a way to contact Allura so she could take Voltron and Lotor back to their home dimension.

"What's your plans now?" Pinako asked, exhaling an acrid cloud of smoke that had the Lions crinkle their sensitive noses.

"Well, we need to find Lotor to start with," Shiro pointed out the obvious first, "and I think we need to head to Central to do that. At least, that's what I took from the conversation we had while travelling from Ishval," Shiro said, looking over at Mustang and Hawkeye for confirmation.

"We're taking them to Central?" Ed asked before anyone could say anything. "How the hell are we gonna stop people panicking at the sight of the Lions?" he asked, a mixture of apprehension and curiousity. Absolutely nothing in the history of Amestris could prepare its citizens for waking up one morning and watching five massive, colourful Lions strolling through their streets.

"Fuhrer Grumman has been made aware of what's happened," Hawkeye said, taking the opportunity to stop any plans her commanding officer might have had to reassure Ed by drawing the blonde into their familiar banter. "He's going to release orders that a group of guests will be arriving in Central and he'll include in those orders that five of those guests will be the Lions, including a description of them and that they will all be under his protection as diplomatic guests. I believe he had plans to release those orders within an hour of us speaking so that the soldiers who are present at Central today will aid in spreading the word when they leave for the day and tell their families," Hawkeye explained. "He's asked that we not arrive in Central until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest since he also plans on holding a press conference about the Paladins and Lions. I am to call him first thing in the morning to tell him the cover story that was given to the Ishvalens so he can repeat it if he needs to," Hawkeye told them.

"So you lot could be here for two nights?" Pinako asked, not sounding awfully thrilled with the prospect.

"If we are, Ms. Rockbell, Captain Hawkeye, Lieutenant Havoc and myself will stay at the hotel in Resembool," Mustang told her.

"We'll see how we go for room. If I have any patients arrive tomorrow, you may very well have to stay at the hotel," Pinako informed him.

"We are sorry for causing you trouble," Shiro said genuinely and both Ed and Al shared an incredulous look when they saw Pinako soften slightly at the sight of the Lions' accompanying apologetic expressions.

"It's not like you purposefully brought trouble with you. Unlike some people I can name," Pinako said, a side-eye thrown at Ed, whose response was to roll his eyes.

"It is _not_ my fault if some lunatic decides to follow me and Al off the train when we turn up for a check-up," Ed said in the tone of someone who has had this argument a hundred times already.

"You _did_ antagonise him while we were on the train, Brother," Al said, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Ed ignored the chuckles coming from several of the Paladins as he turned to his brother with a flat look. "Don't you act like you were just an innocent bystander, little brother. I seem to remember several choice things being said by you when that creep wouldn't stop harassing the passengers," Ed snarked back, grinning smugly when Al flushed bright red.

"That's enough, the both of you," Pinako scolded and found herself under Ed's golden glare, looking thoroughly unphased by it.

"You started this, you crazy old bat!" Ed sniped only to give a muffled yelp when Al backhanded him.

"Brother! Be nice!" Al scolded only to give a yelp of his own when Ed snacked him in the gut with his automail hand hard enough for it to potentially bruise. Den gave a displeased whine at being dislodged slightly by Ed twisting himself so he could get his brother back and Ed immediately turned back around to give the old dog an apology pat while Al grumbled.

"Behave yourselves," Hawkeye said. The threatening undertone in her voice informed both Elrics what would happen if they didn't obey her. Both of them did as she told them to do but Ed glared at Mustang when he looked a little too gleeful that Hawkeye's ire was focused entirely off him for once. Ed's mood improved when Hawkeye noticed her boss' look at Ed and levelled him with a reprimanding glare.

" _Child,"_ Blue teased, her amusement only growing when Ed stuck his tongue out at her because he couldn't come up with a counter to her claims.

"Captain Hawkeye," Pinako's voice captured the captain's attention, "you mentioned something about a cover story. What is it?" Pinako asked curiously.

"I believe the Paladins would be the best ones to repeat it. After all, they'll have to learn their story back to front so it'll withhold against any scrutiny put against it," Hawkeye told her, looking pointedly at all five Paladins and Ed was amused and unsurprised to see all of them nodding in agreement, whether or not they actually wanted to be the ones telling the story.

This time, rather than Shiro starting the story, Lance did, after being nudged by Hunk. He told Pinako about his idea of sticking to the truth as much as possible, getting a nod that was a mix between approval and reprimand from the old woman, before he started weaving the cover story Shiro had told Teman and Miles back in Ishval that morning. The others, even Keith, joined in on telling the story since they knew Hawkeye did have a point. All of them would need to know their cover story backwards so no one slipped up and revealed the whole thing as a lie.

"So, yeah, that's what we're gonna be telling people," Hunk wrapped up the cover story for Pinako, his hands twisting in his lap nervously as he felt Pinako's scrutinising gaze on him.

"Well it's certainly could've been worse. You may actually get away with that story," Pinako told them.

"Oh well, now that they have _your_ seal of approval," Ed muttered sarcastically, loud enough for most everyone to hear him, including Pinako.

"Brother!" Al hissed as Ed and Pinako glared at one another. He looked around to see if he'd be getting any help from anyone and saw only amusement mixed with some fear on their faces.

A small thud sounded from the couch that had both Ed and Pinako – as well as everyone else – looking over to find the source of the noise. "Sorry, Ms. Rockbell," Havoc said sheepishly as he picked up the – thankfully – empty mug he'd knocked over. Al narrowed his eyes at the lieutenant, unable to help but think it had been intentional but the smoker hid any signs it was well enough that Al couldn't spot them.

"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant," Pinako said, immediately waving a hand to dismiss his apology. "It's been a long day for everyone and I think it's far past the time everyone should've been in bed by," Pinako said, standing up from her armchair. "Captain Hawkeye, so long as you don't mind sharing with an old woman, I've set up a cot in Winry's room for you. Two of the Paladins can take my room. Mustang and Havoc, one of you will be in with the boys while the other shares the patients room with another Paladin. The last two Paladins have the choice of the couch or the spare mattress," Pinako said, gesturing to the mattress leaning against the wall.

"Thank you, Ms. Rockbell. I have no problems sharing a room with you," Hawkeye said immediately.

Both Ed and Al shared a look with one another before Al gave a silent nod and Ed turned to the group. "Havoc's with us," Ed said before Havoc and Mustang could discuss who'd get the third bed in the room used by the Elrics.

"Dibs on the couch," Pidge said, smugly grinning when both Lance and Hunk groaned in annoyance.

"We'll take Pinako's room, if that's alright with you?" Shiro said, gesturing to himself and Keith while looking at Pinako, who gave them a nod.

"Yellow and I are happy to camp in the patients room, if you're okay with it, General Mustang?" Hunk asked, lips twitching up in a grin when Ed muttered something about using Mustang's rank.

"That's fine with me, Hunk," Mustang assured the Yellow pilot.

"Guess that means I'm camping in here with you, Pidgey!" Lance exclaimed, reaching over to ruffle the young girl's hair and causing her to hiss like an angry kitten.

"I'll try to hold back my excitement," Pidge muttered as she tried to fix her hair as best she could, causing Ed, Hunk, the Lions and Havoc to chuckle at both her words and her expression.

"Well now that that's everyone sorted, go and get some sleep," Pinako ordered. "I'll have some chores that I need help with for those of you who don't have anything better to do tomorrow so you'll need your rest," she warned them.

"Sure, Granny," Al said immediately and Ed barely held back his eyeroll when he felt both Pinako's and Al's gazes on him.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said dismissively as he climbed to his feet, grabbing his coffee cup as he did. Den was kind enough to move out of the way as he got to his feet but he was right on Ed's heel as the blonde headed for the kitchen.

"Hey, Ed?" Pidge's voice sounded behind Ed just as he reached the sink. Den let out a warning growl when Pidge approached but the effect was lost when his tailed wagged slightly at her. Ed made a questioning noise as he took Pidge's empty cup to wash alongside his. "Do you think I can practise my ability tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah, that shouldn't be an issue," Ed told her. "Actually, I think I know of a pretty good spot that has a bunch of different plant types for you to practise with. I can show you and Green tomorrow," Ed offered, looking over his shoulder in time to see a wide grin form on the youngest Paladin's face.

"That'd be great. Thanks, Ed!" Pidge said, looking just as excited about his offer as she was whenever someone allowed to try out some new technology.

"It's no issue," Ed told her with a small laugh. "I'd have to use my tracking array anyways to make sure no one was nearby to see you using it. Can't have someone freaking out because some random stranger was making the trees and bushes do shit they shouldn't be able to do," Ed told her with a laugh that was echoed by both Pidge and Green.

"Fair enough. When do you think we'll be able to go?" Pidge asked, her excitement making her a little pushier than normal.

"I don't think Granny will have enough chores for everyone to do so we can head out after breakfast for an hour or so. Anything that could use an alchemist can wait until I'm back if Al doesn't take care of it first," Ed told her.

"Awesome. Thanks heaps, Ed," Pidge said once more before she disappeared out of the kitchen to join back up Green and the others.

Ed chuckled as he turned off the water while Den relaxed against his left leg once more. "You're a silly old mutt, you know that?" Ed said fondly as he ruffled Den's ears with his left hand. Movement behind him had Den straightening up but since there was no growling or warning boofs, Ed could rule out the Lions and their pilots. Straightening up from the slight lean he had to do to pat Den, he turned and found Mustang standing in the doorway.

"He's not going to bite me if I come near you, is he?" Mustang asked, eyeing Den warily.

"Only if I give him the order to," Ed said with a grin that had Mustang levelling him with a flat look. "You're safe, Mustang. I'm not gonna risk Miss Riza's wrath like that," Ed told him, rolling his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked as Mustang walked further into the room.

"Well, for one, to drop these off to be washed up," Mustang said, holding the dirty cups belonging to those other than Ed and Pidge who had had a hot drink that night, "and secondly, I wanted to see if you'd be up for a lesson tomorrow?" Mustang asked as he followed Ed's gesture and placed the dirty cups on the side of the sink.

"I promised Pidge that I'd take her and Green to a section of some woods nearby so she can practise her elemental powers and so that I can use my tracking array to make sure no one is nearby," Ed told him and Mustang gave a nod. Ed's brow creased in concentration as he drudged up his childhood memories of those woods. "I think there's a small clearing no more than two- or three-hundred metres from the place I'm taking Pidge and Green to. We could use that if no one's nearby?" Ed suggested.

"Do you know whether Resembool has had a decent amount of rain in the last couple of months?" Mustang asked. At any other time, the implication that he'd cause a forest fire would've made Ed snap at Mustang but since Ed wasn't a master at flame alchemy yet, there was an actual risk of one of his arrays going awry and causing one so Ed knew that Mustang wasn't just being an arse.

"Granny told us last time we spoke to her that Resembool's had close to nine inches over the average rainfall for this time of year," Ed told him. "There shouldn't be so much as a dry branch out there," Ed assured him and Mustang gave him a nod.

"Let me know when you and Pidge want to leave," Mustang instructed and this time, Ed was the one who gave him a nod in answer. However, even with Ed's answer, Mustang didn't move away from the sink.

"What?" Ed asked, a touch snappishly despite his curiousity.

"Are you alright?" Mustang asked, seemingly unphased by Ed's tone and Ed's brow furrowed in confusion. "Lotor's attack when Voltron confronted him didn't cause any lingering pain or problems?" Mustang clarified and Ed's confused expression cleared as he shrugged a shoulder.

"I haven't noticed anything and none of the Paladins or Lions have told me they've suffered side effects from that attack," Ed told him honestly.

Despite it having been four months since Mustang's apology and offer to teach Ed flame alchemy, Ed still found it hard sometimes to trust the way Mustang acted around him when there was no one from the military around to witness the behaviour. That Mustang didn't seem as concerned with keeping the line between subordinate and commanding officer crystal clear and after five years of having Mustang doing just that, it was taking Ed some time to adjust to it. Ed knew that if they'd been having this conversation in the office, Mustang's query after his health would've been followed by some quip about not wanting the paperwork caused by Ed being hospitalised as a result of some side effect Ed hadn't or refused to notice. Just like Ed knew full well that his response would've been an eyeroll and a muttered 'I'm fine' before he forced a switch in subject. Here in Resembool though? Mustang obviously felt comfortable enough to act closer to how he did in the privacy of his home or the secluded clearing he'd introduced Ed to when Mustang felt like Ed was ready to put the theory on flame alchemy he'd read to practical use.

"Good," Mustang said as he straightened from his lean. Ed noticed his eyes still held some wariness when the flame alchemist noticed Den's eyes were watching his every move. "I'll be sending both Havoc and Hawkeye into town with the cars to exchange them for a truck. Depending on whether the military outpost here has a truck large enough for all of us to fit in it, we'll likely be leaving for Central tomorrow, around mid-morning," Mustang told him and Ed nodded as he placed the cup he'd been washing on the drying rack before he grabbed the next one.

"What if it doesn't have one?" Ed asked curiously. He hadn't had any reason in the five years he'd been in the military to notice whether the smaller outposts like Resembool had the large trucks that were primarily used to transport dozens of soldiers to small towns or border skirmishes that trains didn't run to. The blonde knew there _had_ been some trucks at the Resembool military outpost during the Ishvalen Civil War to transport soldiers to the front line but he had no clue whether they still had any or if they'd all been sent to East City, Central or an outpost who actually needed them.

"East City will have some available for us to use. I'll just need to call them and requisition one for a few days," Mustang told him. "It'd take a few hours to get from East City to Resembool so if I do need to order one, we won't be leaving for Central until the next morning," Mustang said. "We'd never get to Central before dark and we can't really book hotel rooms and expect to employees to just accept the Lions staying in some of them," he added in a somewhat amused tone of voice.

"I dunno," Ed said with a small grin. "Some of the hotels in Amestris have likely seen weirder shit that larger-than-life colourful Lions."

Mustang matched his grin as he chuckled. "True," he conceded before his grin turned teasing. "They _have_ had you stay in them before after missions," he teased. "Who knows what that did to them?"

"Arsehole," Ed sniped, though neither of them mentioned that there wasn't even the hint of heat or venom that had been in his insults just for show in the months since Belmont had been caught.

"How long does it take to wash up – oh, hey, General Mustang. I didn't see you go into the kitchen," Al said, a little stunned at finding both his brother and Mustang in the kitchen together and with no injuries to either of them. Ed didn't think the way Alphonse's eyes seemed to rake over both of them, as though trying to find any injuries they may have given each other and were hiding, was truly necessary.

"I was just discussing the possibility of another alchemy lesson with your brother tomorrow since I believe opportunities to do so once we're in Central with Voltron will be minimal at best," Mustang told Al.

Ed watched as Al relaxed slightly at the news that the two of them were being civil and rolled his eyes at his little brother. Al pretended not to notice as he addressed Mustang. "So we aren't leaving tomorrow?"

"It will depend primarily on whether Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc are able to requisition a military truck from Resembool or if one will have to driven from East City for our use," Mustang told Al, repeating what he'd said to Ed just minutes ago. "If Resembool has a vehicle like that immediately available for use, we will be leaving here mid-morning, which will give Fullmetal and I enough time for a lesson and for Fullmetal to keep his promise to show Pidge and Green an area they can use to work on Pidge's ability. If, however, the truck needs to be brought in, we will not be leaving until the morning after," Mustang explained. Ed was barely listening as he finished washing up the cups since he'd already been told all this.

"Oh, that makes sense," Al said with a nod. "Brother, when are we going to head into Resembool to buy the Paladins some clothing?" Al asked, turning to Ed.

"Dammit, I forgot about that," Ed swore softly as he placed the last cup on the drying rack so he could turn to face Al. "We can go into Resembool after Mustang, Pidge, Green and I get back?" he suggested but Al's frown told Ed that his brother had some kind of issue with the plan.

"No offence, General Mustang, but the two of you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to finishing your lessons within a set time frame," Al said with a raised brow. Though Ed wanted to – really only because he was a touch sour about the fact that Al had only said 'no offence' to Mustang and not himself – he couldn't argue with what Al had said. It had become a running joke that if Mustang and he said they'd only spend two hours on a lesson, Al and Gracia should expect Ed back at Gracia's in four hours. Before Ed could come up with any other solution, Al offered one of his own. "Why don't I go into Resembool in the morning with Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc? I'm sure I'll be able to find something for each of them at the clothing store but if I can't, the material shop will have fabrics for us to transmute," Al said, repeating Ed's words from that morning to the Voltron pilots.

"Are you sure? You don't know how long Havoc and Hawkeye could be at the military outpost here. They might not be able to help you with carrying everything," Ed said, brows creasing slightly in a frown.

He knew that his brother would have to buy at least two outfits for everyday wear as well as one set of pyjamas per Paladin – or the material equivalent to that amount should he not find suitable ready-made clothing – as well as toiletries for them to all use. It was a relatively large shop and Ed knew it was a two-person job, especially if there was no truck available for immediate use for them to drive back to Pinako's.

"I'll be fine," Al said dismissively. "I can wait in town for Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc if they do take a while arranging the truck so they can help me carry everything back. The actual shopping won't be hard at all. I can ask the stores to hold my purchases until we're ready to come back here," Al told him.

"You'll have enough money?" Ed asked and Al gave him a nod. "Alright. If that's what you wanna do in the morning, I suggest you go and ask the Paladins what kind of clothing they want before they go to bed," Ed said, looking pointedly at the doorway Al was still lingering in.

There was a flash of something on Al's face that had Ed frowning but he couldn't identify it before the expression was gone. "Sure, Brother," Al agreed easily, making Ed wondered if he'd merely imagined the fleeting look for a moment but a closer look at Al's eyes showed hints of wariness and unwillingness in them. They would've gone completely unnoticed with how well Al hid them but he hadn't done so well enough for someone who knew him as well as Ed did to miss them. "I'll see if Granny needs anything while we're in there," Al said casually before he turned and headed back into the living room before Ed could question him.

"I'm going to find the captain and lieutenant and discuss tomorrow's plan with them," Mustang announced, stepping away from the basin. Ed gave him a nod as he turned to pull the plug from the sink to drain it of the water he used to wash the cups up.

Ed heard Mustang's soft footfalls walk away from him as he watched the water slowly disappear from the sink. His mind was on his brother as he tried to puzzle out what could be bothering Al. He knew it had something to do with the Paladins and Lions since he'd only been acting this way since they found them in the Ishvalen desert but he couldn't figure out the specific reason for it. For a moment, Ed considered the possibility that Al's jealousy towards Shiro and Black hadn't been settled like he'd thought it was six months ago when Al had confessed to his feelings regarding the bonded Black pair and how close Ed was to them after he'd revealed what he viewed as his three biggest failures to the pair but Ed dismissed the idea almost immediately. Even if he believed Al still held onto those feelings, Ed was positive his brother wouldn't place those feelings over the group as a whole. However, that only ruled out one possibility, which left an unknown amount more still roiling around in Ed's mind as he tried to figure it out.

" _Hey, cub."_ Black's voice in his mind preceded the Lion butting her head softly against his left shoulder by only a moment. Den's growling, however, was Ed's first warning and he stooped as Black backed away to comfort the dog.

"Hey, Black," Ed said, a grin causing his lips to curl up as he turned to face the Lion in question now that Den was a bit calmer. "What's up?" he asked as he grabbed for the tea towel that hung up on the wall so he could dry off his hands. He almost stood on Den when the old dog moved with him and he shook his head at him when he turned back. Den didn't notice a thing since he was too busy staring Black down.

" _Nothing. I was just curious about what was keeping you, especially since Alphonse and Mustang have already emerged from the kitchen,"_ Black told him as she allowed him to scratch behind her ears, both of them ignoring Den's half worried, half warning growls.

"Impatient, aren't you?" Ed teased. "I was finishing up in here so Granny didn't have a reason to rant at us in the morning," he explained as he hung the towel back up, causing Black to grumble in protest when he had to stop patting her to do so, though her verbal protests were stopped when Den's growl picked up in volume. It lowered once more to a soft, constant warning when Black made her protests through the bond.

" _I suppose being lectured by Pinako first thing in the morning wouldn't be an optimal way to start your day,"_ Black said thoughtfully, ignoring the eyeroll Ed had given her for her reaction to him having to stop patting her for a few moments. Den ignored the eyeroll aimed at him as well.

"It really hasn't been any of the times she has so we try to avoid it now," Ed told her seriously, causing her to chuckle a little.

" _Is everything alright?"_ Black asked before elaborating when Ed gave a questioning hum. _"Your thoughts were confused but very focused on something we couldn't figure out."_

"Crap, I forgot you guys can do that," Ed muttered and felt some amusement from the bonds he held with all the Lions. Despite it having been over six months since those bonds were forged, Ed somehow always continually forgot the Lions could sense his thoughts. "Yeah, everything's alright. Just gotta figure something out," he told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

Black frowned at him but gave a nod. _"As long as you're sure it's nothing,"_ she said, relaxing a little when Ed gave her a firm nod in return. _"In that case, Shiro says you should go for a shower and get some sleep before too long,"_ she told him, voice a lot chirpier now that she knew Ed wasn't worried about something serious.

Ed rolled his eyes. "He's gonna be like this the whole time you're stuck in Amestris, isn't he?" Ed asked, already knowing the answer but Black's amused hum of confirmation still echoed in his mind, causing him to sigh slightly in resignation.

" _I suggest you make peace with it. You know how worried he gets about you and that was while a whole dimension separated us!"_ Black said, her amusement growing by the second.

"You don't have to sound so giddy about it, you know," Ed muttered as he led the two of them out of the kitchen. Den stayed glued to his flesh leg, switching between watching Black closely – who was following a step or two behind them – and keeping an eye on the Lions Den could now see in the living room.

" _Yeah, I do,"_ she told him, completely unashamed and unphased by the flick he gave to her ear in retaliation.

Al was nowhere in sight when Ed, Den and Black entered the living room but before Ed couldn't question it, Lance had noticed him. "Alphonse said he was going to talk with your grandmother," the Blue Paladin told him, obviously having realised what was causing the blonde alchemist to frown.

"Oh, thanks for telling me," Ed said as he, Den and Black joined up with everyone bar Yellow, Hunk, Pidge, Green and the Amestrians. "Where are the others?" Ed asked, coming to a stop near the Lions but keeping enough distance between them so Den wouldn't be constantly tense.

"Yellow and Hunk are helping Mustang set up the room they're staying in so they'll all fit," Lance answered before anyone else could. "Your brother is with Pinako upstairs, I think Captain Hawkeye has claimed the shower and Lieutenant Havoc followed Al upstairs so he could place his bag in the room he's in," Lance told him. "Pidge and Green have also gone upstairs to talk with Pinako about whether it would be alright for her to use some of her electricity. She mentioned something about wanting to look at your tablet," Lance offered as a reason when he noticed Ed's expression.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Of course she does," he said, having realised he'd completely forgotten the Green pilot all but ordering him to turn his tablet over immediately when the two groups had found each other in the desert. "I told her she'd be more than welcome to look at it in Central."

"I'm still gonna wait until we're in Central," a voice from behind them said and those who had their backs to her turned to find Pidge and Green descending the stairs, "but I wanted to test whether my laptop could even be charged here in Amestris before we got there," Pidge told them. "That way I'd know if I'd have to rig something to make it possible and what kind of parts I'd need to do so," she explained.

"Oh, righto," Ed said. "What's the verdict?" he asked curiously, patting Den in reward for the dog not growling or doing anything else other than wag his tail when he saw Pidge.

"I should be fine," Pidge told him with a shrug. "I have a couple of power point adaptors in my laptop bag so I'll see if they'll work here if I need them," she said.

"Will you be able to survive without using your technology for so long? I don't remember the last time you went more than a day without being on your laptop or fiddling with your experiments and projects," Lance said, a hint of teasing in his voice that had Shiro giving him a reprimanding look.

"See if I help you with anything technology based again," Pidge snarked, smacking Lance on the shoulder as she walked past him. Green attempted to give Lance her own reprimanding glare but her amusement was evident enough that Ed was sure those upstairs could feel it. Her amusement wasn't enough for Den to not loose another low rumbling growl when Green got a little too close for the collie's comfort and Ed silently thanked the Lion when she switched to Pidge's other side, putting just enough room between herself and the dog to get Den to relax.

"She says that but just you wait until I have troubles with my tablet or something and try to fix it myself. Her little technological gremlin soul won't be able to stand whatever I do to it so she'll take it from me to fix herself," Lance whispered to Ed, though he wasn't quite quiet enough for Pidge not to hear him and the glare she levelled the Cuban with had Ed cackling alongside the Lions.

"If she kills you in your sleep tonight, she'll be justified," Keith commented dryly, making Ed's laughter increase as Lance tole Keith exactly where to stick his comment in Spanish, leaving the Red Paladin looking an interesting mixture of confused and amused.

"Keith, stop antagonising Lance. Lance, stop swearing at Keith in any language," Shiro ordered, a tired undertone in his voice. "Pidge, no killing Lance," Shiro added sternly when he noticed the Green Paladin's calculating expression. Pidge's resulting pout had both Ed and Keith laughing, especially when Lance paled slightly.

"Laughing at the gremlin contemplating murdering me is not very nice," Lance muttered at them both petulantly. His amusement undermined the effect he was going for though and Ed was gladdened to see that the team's efforts in the six months Ed and Mustang had been back in Amestris in helping Lance's self-confidence rise had had the intended outcome.

Footsteps coming down the staircase had them looking over to find Havoc coming down the stairs. "The Captain has finished in the shower but Pinako's gone in next," Havoc told them. "After that, it's first in, best dressed," he said with a tired shrug.

"Al and I probably won't go for a shower," Ed said. "We've got our cleaning arrays and we've been either in a house or in a car for the whole day so we don't need one."

"I think it would be best for Pinako's hot water system if some of us waited until morning to have a shower," Shiro said, looking at the Paladins. "Since we don't have any spare clothing to change into and, like Ed and Al, we haven't done anything to warrant needing a shower, I think we'll wait until tomorrow. Alphonse did say he had plans to go into town to get some clothing for us," he said. Lance didn't look awfully happy about the plan but he nodded alongside the Paladins who were there.

"I'm sure Pinako will appreciate that," Havoc said with a nod. "I'm gonna find the bossman and let him know," Havoc told them.

"That way," Ed said, pointing towards the patient room and Havoc gave with a grateful grin before heading in that direction.

"Hey, so how come you and Al both agreed to have Havoc stay in your room?" Lance asked as the blonde lieutenant entered the patients room. "Is it just because the other choice was Mustang?"

Ed shook his head. "Nah, not entirely," he said. "Havoc's been driving practically since the moment he woke up this morning. Poor bastard needs all the sleep he can get and he won't get that if he sleeps down here. At least in our room you don't hear anyone clattering around in the kitchen," Ed told him, shrugging a shoulder casually.

"Huh," Lance said in response. "Fair enough." Lance looked like he was about to say something else when Havoc walked back out of the patients room.

"Bossman said that we should all hit the hay soon," Havoc said, speaking to everyone but looking at Ed specifically, who rolled his eyes knowing full well that Mustang would've said something to Havoc about making sure he got the order.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said, flapping a hand at him. "Den and I'll be up in a few minutes. You should go and see if Granny is finished in the shower. If we get lucky, Mustang will use the last of the hot water before he's finished. I think we would all find his shrieks hilarious," Ed said, a mischievous smile on his face that had Havoc chuckling while both Lance and Pidge were nodding like this was the best idea they'd heard all night.

"Have I ever told you that I'm glad I'm on the lower end of your prank list, Chief?" Havoc asked lightly, his grin not dimming in the slightest when Ed let out a bark of laughter.

"You're that low on my list 'cuz you're more likely to help me out with a prank and I don't want to lose a potential partner in crime by pulling one too many pranks on you," Ed said, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"I'll take it," Havoc said with a chuckle of laughter before he nodded to everyone. "Have a good night," he said, his voice far less amused but still good-natured.

"Goodnight, Lieutenant," Shiro said, the three others echoing him. Havoc gave them a tired wave as he headed up the stairs. "We really should be getting to bed though," Shiro said, facing the Paladins, Lions, Ed and Den.

"Alright," Ed sighed in defeat. "Granny's room is up the stairs and at the end of the hallway," Ed instructed. "I'll help Pidge and Lance set up their beds before Den and I go to bed," Ed told Shiro when the Black Paladin raised his brow in question.

"Okay," Shiro said, not pushing the matter. "Get some sleep and try not to destroy anything down here," he ordered the two bonded pairs who were going to be sleeping in the living room.

"Your lack of faith in us is very hurtful, Shiro," Lance said, hand over his heart as though trying to stop a physical hurt.

"It's not like he doesn't have good reasons for telling the four of you that," Keith snarked and Lance glared at him.

"That's not the point," Lance sniffed haughtily, causing Keith to respond with an eyeroll.

"That's enough," Shiro intervened before the two of them could start a fight. "Come on, Keith, Red and Black. Let's get some sleep," Shiro instructed. "Goodnight, guys," Shiro said, looking at the rest of them as he herded the three camping in Pinako's room with him towards the stairs.

"Night, Shiro. Night, Keith," Ed said with a nod towards them. "Night, you two," he added, giving the two Lions a small smile that had them purring slightly.

" _Night, Ed,"_ Red said immediately.

" _Night, young alchemist,"_ Black said, using her favourite term of endearment for Ed. Den watched them closely as they headed up the stairs and Ed thought that the fact they were heading to Pinako's room might make the dog even more hostile but he did nothing more than turn his eyes onto Blue and Green.

"Alright," Ed said, turning to face the two youngest Paladins and their Lions, "let's get you set up for the night," he said, moving with Den towards the small mattress Lance would be using. "While we do that, you two can tell me why Shiro has good reasons for giving you that order."


	13. Chapter 13

When Ed woke up, it was to the sound of someone nearby snoring. Growling silently to himself, Ed rolled over in his bed – taking in the familiar walls of his and Al's room in the Rockbell house as he did so – and came face to face with Havoc sleeping in the cot between his and Al's beds. The blonde lieutenant was dead to the world, curled up under the blanket and cuddled up to his pillow in an almost innocent and childlike way that nearly had Ed snorting at him. Remembering that the whole reason Al and he had agreed that Havoc would take the cot in their room was so the blonde smoker could get his well-earned rest, Ed swallowed the urge to snap at Havoc for snoring and instead swung himself into a sitting position.

A look over at Al's bed showed him that – yet again – his brother had managed to get up and sneak out without waking him. A check of his bonds told him all Lions were awake and – with a quick message to them – so were their pilots. Yellow was quick to report that Mustang was also awake and Blue butted in to tell him that so were Hawkeye and Granny. Black had been the one who mentally rolled her eyes and put Ed's worries about his brother to rest by telling him that Alphonse was helping Pinako in the kitchen.

Ed thanked her and the others before he decided he should get ready for the day but a whine from the end of his bed had him pausing in his movements. He chuckled slightly at the pathetic sight of Den lying at the foot of his bed, tail slowly thumping on the blanket-covered mattress as he looked up at Ed with pleading eyes. The blonde alchemist knew exactly what the dog was silently asking for. It was a very, very rare occasion where he was allowed to sleep up on the bed with any human and Ed was certain Den knew that the chances of him being able to do so two nights in a row would be far more slim so the dog was doing his best to convince Ed to go back to sleep.

"Nice try, Den," Ed whispered to the dog as he ruffled his ears, "but there's stuff I gotta get done today so you're gonna have to deal with it." He snorted lightly at the displeased whine Den gave but didn't give into the dog's puppy eyes. Havoc's snoring paused for a moment when Ed had snorted at Den but the lieutenant seemed to fall back into a deep sleep once they were quiet.

Signalling to Den to stay quiet and to follow him, Ed scooped up some of his spare clothing he kept at Pinako's before he led Den out of the room. Den did as he was told, shooting the bed a forlorn look that had Ed shaking his head at him. Though he'd expected it, Ed was still a little surprised that Den was sticking to him with the same level of intensity he had been the previous night. He put his foot down when the collie went to follow him into the bathroom and ordered Den to stay outside while he got changed. The look on Den's face before he shut the door told Ed that if Den had been human, he likely would've been muttering something very unflattering about him.

* * *

The moment Ed turned the doorknob once he was dressed, he heard Den's nails and automail leg scrabbling on the hardwood flooring. By the time he had the door all the way open, Den was on his feet and waiting eagerly for Ed to join him once more. For what felt like the hundredth time, Ed shook his head at the dog as they walked back to his and Al's room. Ed opened the door enough for him to throw his sleep-clothes onto the dresser that sat in the corner opposite his bed and to check Havoc was still asleep (he was) before he shut the door softly and signalled to Den for him to follow, a movement that was entirely unnecessary since there was barely an inch between Ed's leg and Den's body.

" _He's still clinging to you?"_ Black asked as Ed and Den headed downstairs and Ed was certain he heard a touch of sulkiness in her voice.

"You heard what Granny said last night," Ed chided her gently. "Den won't leave me alone until either you guys have left or I leave the house for more than a few hours. Even then, if you guys were to stay here while we left, Den would just attach himself to Granny and still act like way," Ed reminded her, grinning at her when they reached the bottom of the stairs and Ed's eyes landed on the Black Lion where she lay with Blue and Green on Lance's mattress. "Comfortable?" he asked all three of them as he laid a comforting hand on Den's head when the collie tensed against him.

" _Very,"_ Blue assured him while the two others hummed in agreement.

"Well that's the main thing," Ed said dryly. "Where's everyone else?" he asked when he realised that the only ones in the living room other than him and Den were the three Lions.

" _Alphonse and your grandmother are making breakfast,"_ Black reminded him and now that Ed remembered that, he could smell the bacon being cooked in the kitchen, _"while everyone else is outside. I think being cooped up for the whole of yesterday didn't agree much with our pilots. Yellow and Red are out there making sure they behave themselves,"_ Black reported.

"Huh. Well I guess I should go and see if Al and Granny need a hand in the kitchen," Ed said. "Are you three staying here or are you gonna go outside with the others?" Ed asked.

" _I think we'll go outside. We were really only waiting for you wake up,"_ Blue told him sweetly and Ed felt himself flush slightly.

"I hate you all," he muttered when he felt their amusement. "Get outside," he ordered them, pointing to the direction of the open front door.

The three Lions got to their feet as one. _"You love us and you know it,"_ Green informed him, her tone one of firm belief and Ed gave a silent huff of laughter that merely confirmed Green's words to be true.

Ed just shook his head at her smug satisfaction and watched the three of them leave the house. Den relaxed immensely against his side and he sighed at the dog before he turned towards the kitchen and headed for it. He was greeted by the sight of Pinako and Alphonse working together to cook up a breakfast large enough to feed a small army. Ed winced at how much food was going into this one meal and resolved to leave some money somewhere Pinako wouldn't notice until they were at least part way to Central. He'd had to do the same for Scar when they left his the previous afternoon because the Ishvalen had refused his offer to repay him for what Voltron had used.

"Do you guys need a hand in here?" Ed asked, startling the pair and causing Ed to smirk at them.

"It's about time you woke up," Pinako grumbled at him as she turned back to the eggs she was cooking.

"That's two mornings in a row that I've managed to leave our room without waking you, Brother. Do I need to tell Teacher you're getting sloppy?" Al asked teasingly and Ed flipped him off.

"First you bitch me out for not getting enough sleep and now you're bitching me out for getting too much? Would you make up your mind?" Ed asked, voice faux annoyed and grinned when his brother returned his previous gesture before he turned back to the mushrooms he was sautéing with butter and garlic. "But you still haven't answered my question," Ed said.

"No, we're fine in here," Pinako told him before Al could say anything. "We'll give you all a shout when everything's ready to be taken outside," Pinako said.

"We're eating outside?" Ed asked curiously. It was a very rare occasion where Pinako would let them eat outside, no matter how many people were at her place since it was usually dark when they held a neighbourhood dinner or something of the like. "Do you want me to make Mustang and the others help me set up the outdoor table?" Ed asked. The table was the reason why Pinako preferred to have everyone inside. It was a beautiful, oak table but it was exceedingly heavy. Even the chairs that matched it were heavy enough that Ed and Al could only carry them one at a time.

"Yes, I think that would probably be for the best," Pinako said after a few moments. Ed wondered if she'd been planning on having everyone sit on the veranda to eat their meals. "It can stay set up until you leave but you boys and your friends will have to put it away once more," Pinako informed them.

"Of course we will, Granny," Al told her immediately as he stirred the mushrooms. "We wouldn't expect you to do it."

"Not unless we had a death wish," Ed muttered, knowing full well that if Winry had ever found out that they'd left it up to Pinako to move the table and chairs back to the shed that sat against the back of the house, the coroner who autopsied them would find wrench-shaped holes in their skulls. Like she knew what he was thinking, Pinako shot Ed an amused look before she used her egg-flip to point at the open kitchen door and Ed rolled his eyes. "We're going," Ed told her before he and Den weaved their way through the kitchen, avoiding both the cooks.

"Ed!" Lance called out the moment Ed and Den had made it through the kitchen and down the two steps that led outside.

Ed looked over at the call of his name and spotted everyone relaxing underneath the large shady tree that sat close by the house. Mustang and Hawkeye were the only ones still on their feet though Mustang was leaning against the trunk of the tree while Hawkeye stood near him, her sharp eyes watching for any threats. Both were dressed in their civilian clothing but Ed knew that Hawkeye would change into her uniform before she and Havoc headed into town. The Lions were all – without exception – sprawled in the sunlight and Ed grinned at the sight of them soaking in the warmth like a bunch of oversized house cats.

"Hey, Lance!" Ed called back as he headed towards them, Den hot on his heels. "Granny needs us to grab the outdoor table and chairs out of the shed. They are very heavy so be warned," Ed told them once he drew level with them.

"Do you need all of us?" Shiro asked and Ed gave him a nod without hesitation. "Alright, lead the way," Shiro said as he got to his feet, gesturing to the others to do the same, which was an unnecessary move since the four others were already getting up.

"That includes you, Mustang," Ed said when Mustang made no move to join them. "Get your lazy arse moving," he ordered.

Mustang raised his brows but did as he was told. Naturally, it wasn't without a snarked comment to the blonde alchemist. "Need I remind you who's actually in charge here?" Mustang drawled as he and Hawkeye caught up with the group Ed and Den were leading around the back of the house.

"Well, it depends on whether you actually mean here as in Resembool or here as in our group," Ed told him. "If you mean Resembool, it's Granny. If you mean the group, it's Miss Riza," Ed informed him, a smirk on his face that only grew when Mustang grumbled at him and he heard a couple of snorts from the Paladins. All five Lions were grinning toothily at Mustang, as though daring him to try and argue and Hawkeye had a brow raised as she waited to see if Mustang had any kind of comeback and whether she'd need to step in to stop an argument from happening.

When Mustang came back with nothing, Ed turned back to watch where he was walking so he didn't accidentally walk past the back shed, a big grin on his face. It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to reach the shed doors and pull them open. There was no electricity to the shed since there was no need for it in Pinako's eyes. She never went into it during the night and even if she did need to, she could use a lamp to light her way and it was expensive enough having the house wired for electricity since electric light bulbs provided better light for her to see by when she was patching up a patient than oil lamps did. However, during the day, they wouldn't have needed to use any light other than the sunshine. The large table and chairs sat exactly where they'd been sitting last time Ed had to venture into the shed.

"Okay, let's get the table out first. It's a bitch of a thing to move so we'll need everyone," Ed told them once more as he entered the shed.

Ed waited for everyone to position themselves at the table while he stood at the far end of the table with Den right next to him. He spared the collie a look that told him to keep an eye on his paws so he didn't get stood on before he looked back up. Hawkeye, Hunk and Keith were on one side while Mustang, Shiro and Pidge took the other. Lance had taken position opposite Ed so that they were relatively evenly matched on all sides. Once everyone had a grip on the table, Ed gave a nod and a count down before he lifted his part of the table. For a split moment, he was lifting the whole table by himself before the others reacted to his countdown and their efforts aided him in getting the table off the ground.

It took them a few minutes to get the table out of the shed and under the tree everyone bar Ed and Den had been relaxing under. The Lions and Den were sticking with their human since they couldn't physically help and Ed could hear the Lions telling himself and their pilot they didn't have far to go now until they could put the table down. This was one of the few moments outside of a fight where Ed was grateful for his automail arm because when they placed the table under the tree and Ed relaxed his left arm, he could feel the burn of his muscles as they relaxed.

"Right," Ed said, panting softly as he tired to get his breathing back under control, "now we need to get the chairs," he told them and gave an understanding grin when he heard several groans in response. That table had been heavier than Ed remembered and he wasn't looking forward to having to drag the chairs out but he knew they needed to. "Come on. Sooner we get going, the sooner we're done," Ed told them, nodding happily as he watched Lance and Hunk pick themselves up off the ground from the dramatic collapse they'd done once they put the table down, even if they were grumbling while they did so.

Once again, Ed and Den led the way and this time Ed didn't have to cajole Mustang into helping them out. The table sat ten people so there were ten chairs, leaving them one short for Pinako but Ed assured Pidge – who had been the first to voice the lack of seats – that he'd grab one out of the house for someone to sit on. In the end, Ed and Shiro were the ones to grab the two chairs remaining out of the shed while Hawkeye went to grab a chair from inside. She came back with the news that breakfast would be ready within a minute and that Pinako had instructed those who needed to wash to do so. Ed used his alchemy to clean off the dust that still clung to the table and chairs before he headed into the house to do as Pinako had instructed since he was now covered in dust.

* * *

When he and Den came back down from the bathroom for the second time within half an hour, Ed found himself accosted by Alphonse. Havoc had joined them in the land of the awake and Al had just finished piling platters of food into Havoc's arms when Ed had appeared in the kitchen and made himself Al's next victim. Arms loaded with mushrooms and bacon, Ed shook his head at his brother, who was now forcing Lance to take the cooked tomatoes and eggs while Pinako had Hawkeye and Pidge helping her with making three large pots of coffee and one of tea to join them at the table. Shiro had been on his way into the kitchen when Havoc came out with his armful and the Black Paladin must've taken pity on the smoker because he relieved him of the plates of toast and joined them in walking over to the table.

It took them a few minutes but finally everything was on the table and everyone had chosen their seats. The Lions were sitting next to their pilots and Pinako had managed to find enough plates for them to use as well. "Thank you, Pinako. This looks amazing," Shiro said as he took in the mountains of bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash-browns and toast in front of them all.

"You're welcome," Pinako said from where she sat at the head of the table. Ed was sitting opposite to her, mainly so Den could lay out next to him without risking someone moving a chair onto his paw or tail if they wanted to leave the table. "Dig in," she told them, waving a hand over the table and once her permission had been given, there was a flurry of movement.

Ed was quick to pile his plate as high as possible before he grabbed a few rashers of bacon and a couple bits of toast for Den to have. Once his toast had been slathered with butter, Ed didn't bother showing any manners and waiting for the others to start eating, he just dug straight in. He was a little surprised at how hungry he was until he realised he hadn't eaten since before they left Scar's place the previous day. He grimaced a little when he realised that no one – including himself – had offered to make anything for those who may have been hungry. He and Al may have been used to missing a meal or two every now and then when they were caught up in research or a mission but that didn't mean everyone was and he felt bad that he'd forgotten that.

" _Don't feel bad, cub,"_ Blue said and once again Ed cursed himself out for forgetting that the Lions could sense his feelings and thoughts. Blue allowed him to feel her amusement before she grew serious and comforting once more. _"No one was hungry last night. I think everyone was too tired after being stuck inside a car for five hours to be hungry. Besides, my sisters will agree with me that if their pilot had been hungry, they would've said something,"_ Blue told him, a smirk on her face when the four other Lions did indeed confirm her words.

"Okay, I get it. I'll stop feeling guilty about it," Ed told her with a small laugh as he took another bite of his breakfast.

" _As well you should,"_ Blue told him before she resumed her own breakfast.

"Which of you lot plan on being here this morning to help out with some chores?" Pinako was the first person to speak out loud since they started eating.

"Pidge, Mustang, Green and I are gonna head off after breakfast to work on stuff," Ed told her once he swallowed his mouthful.

"Are you going to practise your ability, Pidge?" Shiro asked, nodding at Green to further clarify his question and Pidge gave him a nod. "Take someone else with you, please. Just in case," Shiro requested and Pidge gave a sigh but nodded.

"I can go with you if no one else minds?" Hunk offered. Yellow's ears perked up to show her interest and Pidge shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't care," she told him. To anyone else, the comment may have seemed dismissive, even a little mean, but to those who knew her, they knew it wasn't meant maliciously and Hunk certainly didn't seem to take it that way.

"Is your wrist okay enough for you to be using your ability?" Ed asked, nodding to Hunk's bandaged wrist. He had no idea if Hunk or the others physically needed to touch their element or use their hands to manipulate it but he knew from experience that using alchemy with a damaged wrist could hurt, depending on what array he was using. His worries were assuaged by Hunk nodding without any hesitation or hints of dishonesty. "Well that's the six of us sorted," Ed said before sighing when Den whined. "Seven," he amended much to everyone else's amusement.

"Lieutenant Havoc and I will be driving the cars back to the Resembool outpost and exchanging them for a truck," Hawkeye told Pinako. "I believe that Alphonse is going into town with us to buy supplies," she added, looking at Al for clarification.

"Yes, Al has already asked me whether I need him to get me anything from town," Pinako said before Al could say anything. "What about the rest of you?" Pinako asked, looking pointedly at the three Paladins who hadn't said anything in regard to their plans.

"We'd be happy to help you with anything you need around the house," Shiro told her, speaking for the three of them and Pinako gave him a grateful nod.

"Good," she said in response. "I'm sure there'll still be a couple of jobs for an alchemist to do later today but I'd appreciate the help until Alphonse or Edward returns," she said, ignoring Ed's eyeroll and muttered comment about how he knew she'd do that.

Much to Al's regret and Ed's amusement, the kick Alphonse aimed at Ed's shin was aimed at his left one and the muffled clang caught a few peoples attention for a moment. Putting the noise together with Ed's shit-eating grin and Al's pained hiss and muttered grumbles, most of them figured out what had happened and Ed was pleased to see that his little brother got minimal sympathy for his attack on him. The glare Al levelled Ed's way – as though it was Ed's fault his brother forgot which leg was automail – didn't phase Ed in the slightest and his grin stayed in place even as he chewed on another strip of bacon.

* * *

"So this area is where I figured you'd be best practising your elemental powers," Ed said as he gestured widely to the trees, bushes, shrubs and other plant life surrounding the seven of them. "There's a creek about twenty metres that way," Ed said, gesturing in the direction he meant, "and a small clearing another thirty that way," again, there was another gesture, "that you could use, Hunk." The Yellow Paladin gave a nod. "So long as my memory hasn't lied to me, Mustang and I will be practicing two- to three-hundred metres that way," Ed told them, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "If something happens, it shouldn't be hard to find us. We'll come and grab you guys once we're done with our lesson, so long as you haven't found us before that, okay?" Ed asked and received nods all around.

Breakfast had finished relatively quickly after Al's poorly executed attempt to punish Ed for his attitude. Once everyone was done, they helped Pinako take the dirty dishes inside before Havoc wiped the table clean and Keith fed the few scraps that remained to the Lions. Den would've been offered some but he was busy making sure none of the Lions came near Ed while he and Al scraped the plates off. Havoc, Hawkeye and Al had then left for town in the two cars – once Hawkeye and Havoc were in their uniforms – but not before Ed had remembered something Hawkeye had said and had asked the captain whether she'd called Grumman about Voltron's cover story and she had assured him that she had done so the moment she'd come downstairs that morning.

It had taken Ed almost an hour and a half after Hawkeye, Havoc and Al had left to round up those who were going with him since Pinako had a few things she needed an alchemist to fix immediately. Ed had done so with minimal complaining, especially after she'd told him that all the unexpected rain had caused a lot of damage to the roof, which was one of the chores she needed help with. Once he'd seen the damage first-hand, Ed had bitched Pinako out for not calling him and Al the moment she'd noticed the damage because – in his words – the roof was one storm away from caving in. As it was, Ed had come down from the attic covered in muck after he'd gone in to assess if any damage caused by the storms had managed to make it through the roof.

Pinako had taken one look at him – and an equally filthy Den who had not let the attic steps deter him from following Ed up – and ordered them into the shower before they tried going any further into her house. She had been nice enough to have a coffee waiting for Ed when he and Den emerged from the bathroom far cleaner than they had been when they went in. Only then had Ed been able to gather Mustang, Pidge, Hunk, Yellow and Green and lead them into a wooded area that sat fifteen minutes from the Rockbell household. It had been another five or so minutes of walking through the woods that got them to where they were right now.

"Have you checked the area, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked and Ed rolled his eyes.

"I was just about to, you impatient bastard," Ed informed him as he pulled off his white gloves and pulled on the left-hand black glove.

Unlike Mustang's flame array, Ed didn't need to do anything like snapping to use his tracking array. He simply held his hand palm facing away from him and pressed his automail fingers to the array stitched on the back of the glove. As always happened with his tracking array, his eyes lit up alchemic blue and Mustang watched as Ed's brows creased in concentration as he willed the energy to do as he'd transmuted it to do. Finally, Ed removed his right hand from the back of his left and his eyes returned to their normal golden colour. He blinked a couple of times before he shook his head clear of the effects of the array and switched his gloves back, placing the black pair in his red jacket's pocket.

"It's all clear," Ed told them and all three relaxed slightly. "I sensed nothing more than the forest animals I should've seen and I stretched that array to cover a good kilometre around us," he assured them. "If anyone comes inside that area, the Lions and Den should pick up on them," he added just as an extra assurance.

" _We'll let you know if we sense someone coming near you,"_ Green promised and Ed gave her a smile.

"I'll make sure to do the same," he swore to both her and Yellow and they dipped their heads in response. "We'll see you in a couple of hours," Ed told the two bonded pairs.

"See you," Hunk said with a cheery wave while Pidge looked like she was two moments away from physically making them leave the area so she could get some practise in.

With another wave and goodbye from the two alchemists, Mustang, Ed and Den headed towards the clearing Ed deemed to be suitable for their needs. Ed grinned to himself when he picked up on Pidge demanding Hunk show her how to get started using her abilities, remembering what had happened the night they'd stayed at Scar's and the Paladins had revealed their abilities. It seemed Pidge's sulky attitude towards Hunk went out the window the moment she was able to practise her abilities.

"Did Grumman say anything interesting?" Ed asked Mustang as he and Den picked their way through the almost completely grown over trail.

"Are you asking me for gossip from Central?" Mustang asked as he followed Ed through the woods.

"No, I'm asking for gossip from Grumman," Ed informed him. The 'duh' tone was very obvious and Mustang shook his head, though Ed didn't see it considering he was busy making sure he didn't fall flat on his face because of some unseen branch.

"Fuhrer Grumman merely informed us that he'd be holding his press conference half an hour after he spoke with us so the information could be broadcast on the morning radio stations," Mustang told him and Ed made a displeased noise. He was hoping for some information about Generals Widdon and Combes making some sort of fuss about diplomatic guests visiting Central. "Apparently there has been some unrest amongst a few of the military's high command though. According to Fuhrer Grumman, a few of them have expressed concerns about the fact that these diplomatic guests appeared out of seemingly nowhere and that they had minimal forewarning to prepare for them," Mustang went on to say, a grin forming on his face when Ed let out some delighted laughter.

"Oh, I bet it's Widdon and Combes!" Ed said as he tried to contain his glee. "I _cannot_ wait to introduce those two arseholes to the Lions. Red has come up with some pretty clever ways to get payback on those two morons for the shit they tried pulling while I was in charge of the team," Ed divulged and Mustang had to be honest with himself and admit that he kind of wanted to know more about Red's plans to see if they could feasibly get away with using any of them.

"I feel like I should make sure that I've said this at least once but the Lions are not allowed to attack any member of the high command without just cause," Mustang told Ed, though it was obvious to both of them just how much Mustang wished he didn't have to voice the words.

"Them being dicks is just cause enough in my books," Ed muttered and Mustang snorted softly. "Speaking of those two douches, when are you planning on investigating them?" Ed asked, turning to glance at Mustang before his attention was caught by Den who – now that there were no Lions in sight – had detached from his side and was busy exploring the area.

"Not for another couple of months," Mustang sighed and Ed made another displeased noise that Mustang could relate to all too well. "They've only been back from their suspension for a month. They'll still be expecting me to be looking into them and their activities so they'll be on high guard and I won't be able to get as far in my investigation now than I would if I just waited a couple more months," Mustang explained, repeating much of the point he'd made for not opening an immediate investigation into the obviously corrupt pair of generals when Ed and Al had asked the day after the BAU had returned home.

Ed still didn't look awfully happy about why they weren't going after the generals yet and Mustang truly couldn't blame him. It had taken a considerable amount of effort on his part to stop himself from going after the generals with a vengeance and Mustang was a little surprised that Ed hadn't already tried starting his own investigation without his permission. He knew the blonde was still mad about how blatantly the generals abused their rank throughout the investigation to clear Mustang's name and how they'd tried convincing Grumman that Ed and Al had collaborated together to frame Belmont in order to clear his name. Though Ed continually called that attempt one of the most laughable and memorable (for all the wrong reasons) bids to manipulate someone into doing something they wanted, Mustang wasn't blind to the way Ed sneered every time the generals were mentioned near him. Honestly, Mustang was looking forward to working alongside Ed for this investigation. He had a feeling it would be one of the very few missions Ed undertook for him that he would do so with extreme enthusiasm.

"Think it's big enough?" Ed's voice broke Mustang out of his thoughts and the older alchemist looked around the clearing and took it in.

It wasn't as big as the clearing he and Ed used near Central and the grass was far shorter, indicating a significantly larger amount of animal activity in this area than there was near Central – which made sense considering how much more human activity there was in Central compared to Resembool. Ed was right about what the rainfall had done for this area since Mustang couldn't see any dead or dying trees, other than the husks that had fallen further into the woods. Though it was probably a third or so smaller than their usual clearing, Mustang couldn't see anything that would prevent them from using it for their lesson.

"It'll do," Mustang said after a few moments.

"Good because the next best clearing is another few kilometres away and I told the Lions, Pidge and Hunk that we'd be using this one," Ed told him, taking a few more steps into the clearing. Mustang didn't comment as he followed him but he did watch Den meandering through the grass with a critical eye that Ed noticed. Letting out a short, sharp whistle that had Mustang jump slightly since he hadn't expected it, Ed called Den over to him. "Go over there and lay down," Ed ordered the dog. There was a moment where Mustang thought Ed might have to repeat the order or drag the dog over to the edge of the clearing but Ed only gave Den a significant look to get the dog moving.

"Gloves," Mustang reminded Ed and the blonde was quick to exchange his white gloves for his red pair, all the while watching Den to ensure the dog had followed his orders. Once Den had settled under one of the thicker trees, Ed turned to Mustang expectantly. "Alright. Despite the fact that this area isn't dry, we aren't going to work on any of the more volatile uses of the array today. This clearing isn't big enough for that," Mustang said before Ed could protest. The blonde didn't look happy but he nodded in understanding. "Let's see how much you remember from our last lesson," Mustang said decisively and Ed gave a nod before he took up the stance Mustang had taught him so that he was facing the clearing and snapped.

* * *

They hadn't been practising long – maybe ten minutes – when two things happened simultaneously; Den was suddenly on his feet, a loud warning growl emitting from his throat with his hackles up as he eyed a section of woods in front of the humans and Ed abandoned an attack he was about to use, his senses going haywire as he brought his left hand over his right, the array needed to transform his arm into his blade readied. Mustang saw both of these things happening at once and readied himself for something to happen, even if he didn't know what. He was about to hiss to the blonde as Den's growls increased when Ed's eyes stopped scanning the area and widened as they landed on something.

"Move!" Ed ordered, abandoning his array as he shoved Mustang to the side with his right arm – making the man stumble from the force – and threw himself to the left just as a shot not dissimilar to Lance's rifle's energy shots flashed past them, missing the both of them and Den by inches.

Mustang managed to catch himself before he hit the ground just as the shot hit the tree that had been directly behind the two of them. There was a deafening cracking noise and Ed's shout for Den mingled with a large groaning noise. Mustang looked over his shoulder to find the tree that had been hit crashing towards the three of them. Mustang didn't get the chance to call out a warning as the tree fell between him and Ed, separating them further from one another.

"Ed!" Mustang called, coughing slightly from the dust and dirt that had been sprayed up by the tree crashing to the ground. He could feel a trickle of warmth running down his cheek and a press of his fingers to his cheek confirmed it was blood, likely from a cut caused by a shard of wood sent flying when the tree crashed into the ground. "Edward!" Mustang called again when he didn't get an immediate response, his worry for his subordinate skyrocketing as he hurriedly waved the dust and dirt away from him so he could see clearly.

"I'm fine!" Mustang breathed a sigh of relief, not bothering to keep it quiet, when he heard Ed's voice. "A branch got me but Den and I got out of the way before anything worse happened," Ed told him.

The dust and dirt had finally settled and Mustang could now see Ed over the tree trunk. His red jacket was covered in dirt and his braid wasn't as neat as it had been that morning. Mustang's eyes picked up on the torn left sleeves and he knew that Ed's arm likely had scratches that matched the tears but the blonde wasn't scowling as though inconvenienced by a large injury so Mustang was willing to leave it for the moment. Now that his worry over his subordinate had abated, Mustang turned his focus over to the direction the shot had come from but – to his surprise – he couldn't see anything or anyone nearby.

"I can't see anyone," Mustang told Ed. He heard a familiar ringing clap before a frustrated sigh followed a few moments later.

"My array's not picking anyone up," Ed told him, his voice irritable and confused. "Think it was a sniper?" he asked though Mustang could pick up the disbelief in Ed's voice.

"I don't think so," Mustang said. "That shot came too low and there's too many trees in the way for a sniper to risk that shot." Mustang knew for a fact that Hawkeye refused to use her sniper rifle in heavily wooded areas like this unless she was on the edge of the clearing her target was in, in which case, she preferred her standard rifle since she wouldn't have to set it up.

"Then I don't understand," Ed admitted. "My array picked up the Lions and their Paladins – they're on their way, by the way – so it _should've_ picked someone as close as that person needed to be. So why didn't – DEN, NO!" Ed's shout startled Mustang and he swung his gaze from where it had been scanning the forest in front of them to the other side of the fallen tree in time to see Ed racing towards where the shot had come from.

Moving his gaze to try and find out what was happening, Mustang spotted the black and white coat of Den racing towards a figure who had just made itself known by stepping out of the tree line. Den's ferocious barking and snarling didn't seem to phase this person and Mustang was quick to check his alchemy gloves were sitting snug on his hands. It took only a moment for him to realise that the uniform this person was dressed in, as well as his long white hair and weapon, were all obviously not from this country or any surrounding country which left Mustang with only one idea of who this person was. Lotor had somehow managed to track them down and hide from Ed's array to avoid detection. Mustang had no idea why Lotor had gone after him and Ed rather than sneaking the two or three hundred metres needed to target the two Paladins and their Lions practising without any protection but he figured that was a question that could wait until after they'd taken care of him.

Mustang watched as Lotor raised his weapon and lined it up with Den and Edward and he knew that Ed had either not noticed it or didn't care as he tried to catch up to the dog to stop him from getting killed. "Ed!" Mustang called when Lotor moved to pull the trigger but before he could snap and Lotor could fire, two massive objects burst out of the trees, startling the two of them enough that Lotor's shot went wide, destroying another tree but not harming anyone else.

* * *

Ed's mind was focused on one thing and one thing only: getting to Den before the overprotective mutt got himself killed because of him. He saw the white-haired, lavender-skinned man – who could only be Lotor – raise his weapon, an evil glint in his yellow eyes, and aim to fire at both him and Den but Ed didn't care. He was _not_ going to let Den be killed because he couldn't protect him. He was a little stunned by the fact that Den was still a few metres in front of him and he was a little in awe of how fast Den was moving despite the fact that his automail leg wasn't connected to his nerves like Ed's was which meant it wasn't able to act like a real limb. Ed heard Mustang's warning shout coming from behind him but he didn't listen as he sped up in an effort to grab Den.

Though he'd sensed the four of them heading their way with his tracking array, Ed was still startled when both Green and Yellow burst out of the trees, eyes blazing furiously as they raced for him and Den. Yellow got herself in front of Ed, curling in front of him when he hit the ground after another shot was fired but – to Ed's relief – the only thing he heard was another tree falling from his left. He picked himself up quickly and peered over Yellow to find Den cowering behind Green, who was spitting and hissing ferociously at Lotor as she stood protectively in front of the collie dog.

There was a snap from behind him and Ed watched as flames raced past him and Yellow, heading straight for Lotor. Ed watched as Lotor's eyes – and now that he was closer to the alien Ed could see that his eyes weren't just yellow like a Galran's were but that he had pale blue irises though no pupil which gave him an eerie look – flicked to Mustang before he moved out of the way of the attack. From the lack of surprise Lotor showed, Ed knew the alien must've been watching them for a couple of minutes to not be shocked at someone wielding fire with the snap of their fingers. The attack missed and Ed knew without looking that Mustang wouldn't be happy about the fact that the distraction caused by the Lions hadn't been enough to ensure his attack landed. The tree Lotor had been near was left with a scorch mark but nothing more and Ed was pissed that it hadn't been Lotor who was hit.

" _Ed, what are you planning?"_ Yellow asked as Ed tried to find Lotor once more.

"We're gonna find that fucker and take him down," Ed told her, making sure to include Green in the conversation.

" _Our missing sisters have been alerted and the three of them and their Paladins are on their way,"_ Green told him and though Ed was happy they'd have back-up, he also knew the other Lions and Paladins were 20 minutes away and he couldn't count on them being here for at least that long.

"Well, they're not going to be happy to turn up and find out they've missed out on all the action, now are they?" Ed said with a small smirk as Yellow and Green chuckled.

Den was – to Ed's surprise – still next to Green and the collie dog was standing guard alongside the Lion, adding his own keen eyesight, hearing and sense of smell to theirs in an effort to locate Lotor. A flash of white caught all of their attention and Ed didn't even need to give the order for them to move. Green launched herself first, moving straight for the trees while Ed moved himself away from Yellow, readying himself as he, Yellow and Den waited for Green to flush their enemy out of the trees and into the clearing. He could sense Mustang preparing another array but he knew his commanding officer wouldn't dare use it until he, Den and the Lions were clear of the line of literal fire. Ed resolved that if he thought for a moment that they wouldn't be enough to take Lotor down, he'd make sure Mustang got another shot and that he wouldn't miss that time.

Green's roars sent any birds still in the area flying out of the trees in an explosion of panic but more importantly, she was successful in getting Lotor out of hiding. The alien prince fired a shot as he was forced backwards into the clearing but Green was quick to get behind a tree, making the shot take down yet another tree rather than who it was aimed at. Ed still hadn't drawn his blade but right now he wasn't planning on engaging Lotor in hand-to-hand combat. Instead, he planned on ending this fight before it could begin. Dropping to a crouch, Ed slammed a hand onto the hard earth and a crackle of energy later had a set of earthen hands reaching for Lotor. Ed's plans on grabbing Lotor so his arms were pinned and would be unable to move exploded with the earthen hands after Lotor fired two rounds quick enough to rival Lance's and Hawkeye's shooting.

Lotor turned to look at Ed, his eyes narrowed as he took in the blonde alchemist and those who stood with him. Mustang – as Ed hoped he did – had taken the opportunity of Ed not straightening back up to send another flame attack, the snap echoing through the forest, but Lotor moved once again. However, the alien prince hadn't noticed Green moving closer and in an effort to avoid the swipe of her claws, Lotor stepped back, right into the path of the flames Mustang had sent. Ed felt vindictive hope flare in his chest but Yellow, Green and Den's growling immediately dampened it. When Lotor straightened, Ed could see the ends of his loose hair were scorched off and the smell of burnt hair hit him moments later, making him fight against his gag reflex.

"Take him out!" Ed ordered, all patience lost now that Lotor had managed to evade all attacks sent his way and the Lions didn't hesitate to follow his commands.

The four of them – Den included – moved to rush Lotor, determined to box him in so he couldn't evade them all. As Ed moved to transmute his blade into existence, he noticed Lotor pull something out of a pocket on his black uniform. Normally he wouldn't have paid any attention to the device – even though it was completely foreign to him – since he preferred to have all his attention on trying to read his opponent's reaction to his attack so he could change his attack to best prevent his opponent from escaping his attack. However, a shout from behind him got his attention just as Lotor did something to cause the small device – something no bigger than his palm – to start flashing.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Pidge's frantic warning came a moment too late.

No more than a moment after Pidge shouted, Lotor threw the device down in front of him in the same moment as he swiftly moved backwards. Ed and the Lions came to an immediate stop at the sight of the flashing object on the ground – mainly because they didn't know what it was and didn't want to get any closer. Green once again forced Den to a stop as she leapt sideways to cover the dog, making him scrabble to a stop so he didn't collide with the Green Lion.

Before Ed could blink, the device exploded and the effects were immediate. A deafening explosion sounded at the exact same time a light brighter than what was produced by the Lions when they changed forms shone from the spot the device had settled on after Lotor had thrown it. Ed gave a pained shout that was drowned out by the pained roars and yelp from the Lions and Den as he fell to his knees, his hands coming up to cover his ears instinctively and screwing his eyes shut. The ringing in his ears was almost painful and he couldn't get it clear no matter how much he shook his head. He didn't even feel himself listing forward since the noise created by the explosion had destroyed his sense of balance.

* * *

Mustang hadn't hesitated to follow Pidge's order when the youngest Paladin had shouted at them to close their eyes and he'd mimicked her actions when she'd clamped her hands tightly over her ears. Not even a moment after he'd closed his eyes and covered his ears did Mustang hear a muffled explosion and felt the ground shake slightly. The explosion wasn't powerful enough for Mustang to believe it had been a grenade like what he'd seen being used during the Ishvalen Civil War but he knew from the way Pidge had sounded that it wasn't harmless. Mustang didn't uncover his ears or open his eyes until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing Mustang saw was Hunk's worried expression. Waving it off with a muttered assurance, the flame alchemist looked over the Yellow Paladin's shoulder to find Pidge racing towards the section of clearing the fight had taken place and to his horror, Mustang saw Ed on his knees, his hands over his ears and an obviously pained expression on his face. The Lions and Den had it somewhat worse since they didn't have hands so they were rubbing their ears with their paws as they let out pained whimpers.

"Ed." The soft whisper of the blonde's name was all that came out of Mustang's mouth before he was joining Pidge in her sprint to their fallen friends' sides. He managed to get to Ed just in time to catch the blonde before he fell – his heart thumping painfully as a spike of fear that Ed had been knocked unconscious raced through him but he soon saw that Ed's eyes were screwed up, a sure sign he was still conscious. Hunk had apparently joined him in the race to the scene since he'd fallen to his knees on Mustang's other side in an effort to comfort Yellow, who was mewling pitifully as she suffered the effects of whatever had happened. "What's wrong with them? What was that attack?" Mustang demanded as he shuffled so he was kneeling next to Ed rather than in front of him so he could pull the blonde into a side-hug.

"It was a stun grenade," Pidge growled as she tried to comfort Green. "The explosion we heard has deafened Ed, Den and the Lions and disrupted the fluid in their middle and inner ear so their sense of balance is screwed to hell. There would've been a bright flash of light when it exploded and from the looks of it, none of them shut their eyes in time so they've been blinded as well," Pidge said, her voice sympathetic as she pulled Green's head into her lap so she could hug her. "It's temporary. They'll get their sight and hearing back in a few seconds but they're gonna be disorientated for a while – maybe an hour, probably more depending on how close they were to the grenade – and they'll feel concussed," Pidge explained, effectively soothing the worry that had flooded Mustang when she'd told him that Ed had been blinded and deafened from the attack.

"How far away are the other Lions?" Mustang asked, subconsciously tightening his grip on Ed.

"They'll be here in a few minutes. Blue, Red and Black will likely be here first. I don't think they'll be waiting for Lance, Keith or Shiro now that they know Ed, Yellow and Green were taken down by that attack," Hunk answered, a small smirk on his face at the thought before it slipped off when Yellow let out a small whine.

Mustang went to say something but movement next to him had him pausing. He looked down to see Ed dropping his hands from where they'd been clasped protectively over his ears and – to Mustang's relief – he saw Ed's golden eyes blinking open and his pupils dilate as they reacted to the light, something that told Mustang for certain that Ed's blindness really had been temporary. He'd never described out loud the panic and fear he'd felt in Father's cavern under Central when he'd realised his sight had been stolen nor had he described the overwhelming relief and happiness he'd felt when Marcoh had restored his sight. However, the few moments after Pidge told them the effects where he'd thought Ed had been permanently blinded and deafened had been far more terrifying and her telling them they were only temporary had been far more relieving for Mustang.

"Ed?" Mustang asked, keeping his voice low in case the attack had rendered Ed and the others sensitive to loud noises.

* * *

" – and Green were taken down by that attack." Hunk's voice had started out sounding so faint that Ed thought the Yellow Paladin was still standing on the other side of the clearing but had soon become much louder and clearer with each moment that passed. His eyes were still screwed shut but that was more out of fear than anything. He'd been looking _directly_ at that grenade before Pidge's warning had registered, making him divert his eyes only a split second before the bright light had shone and Ed had been so scared that that diversion hadn't been quick enough and that he'd end up permanently blinded.

He didn't feel himself shift but someone's arms tightened around him so he assumed he had. Knowing he needed to know, Ed slowly blinked open his eyes and was relieved to find he still had his sight. The sunlight shining around him was a little brighter than he knew it ought to have been but he figured his eyes would adjust eventually. "Ed?" The soft call of his name off to his right answered the question of who was holding him upright.

"I'm alive," Ed muttered to Mustang. "What the actual fuck was that?" he asked shakily as his ears continued ringing. No amount of shaking his head was clearing him of the noise or of the off-balanced feeling he had and he didn't like that at all. His sense of balance was pivotal to his fighting and he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself right now if they were attacked and he didn't like that one bit.

"Pidge called it a stun grenade," Mustang said, still speaking softly. "You, Den, Green and Yellow were all blinded and deafened temporarily and Pidge said you'll be disorientated and feeling concussed for a little while." Mustang went to go and ask Ed how the blonde was feeling when Ed's head shot up and he frantically looked around for something.

"Den!" Ed gasped as he took in the border collie lying on his side, chest heaving as he whimpered. Both Pidge and Hunk had been trying to coax Green and Yellow to move just a bit so they could comfort the dog as well but Ed saw they hadn't had any luck yet. He lurched to his feet and would've immediately hit the ground again if not for the fact that Mustang had expected Ed to do something like that and had moved to intercept the blonde.

"Easy, Ed," Mustang scolded as he steadied the blonde.

Before Ed could snap at his commanding officer that he needed to check on Den, he felt himself being gently tugged over to the collie dog. Once he and Mustang were in front of him, Ed fell to his knees and held out a hand for Den to sniff so he wouldn't instinctively attack him thinking Ed was a stranger taking advantage of his vulnerable state. Once Den had let out a pitiful whine and licked Ed's gloved hand, Ed moved the dog so he was in his lap and cuddled him comfortingly, ignoring the fact that Mustang was right there watching him.

"You're alright, Den," Ed whispered, knowing full well that he and the Lions had copped the noise-side of the explosion far worse than Ed had. He wouldn't be surprised if the explosion had deafened Den to some degree. The superior hearing the three of them had most definitely had worked against them in this instance. Den wriggled in Ed's grip slightly and looked up before he licked Ed's cheek. Normally Ed would've scolded the old dog for that but he was far too relieved that Den hadn't been blinded permanently either that he allowed it just this once. "How are they?" Ed asked, wincing as his ears seemed to ring in a higher pitch.

"They'll be alright," Pidge said. "The fact that their hearing is better than ours has made it worse for them but they can hear us and they can see so they should recover completely," Pidge told him, confirming Ed's thoughts as she stroked Green's massive head.

"How are you?" Hunk asked, concern in his voice as he checked Ed over. He'd seen stun grenades cause people to bleed from their ears but there was no evidence in Ed's case, something Hunk was happy to see since bleeding from the ears usually meant permanent damage.

"I could go for some painkillers and I would really, really like to put my right fist through Lotor's face right now but I'm alright," Ed said with a small smirk. His head pounded and the ringing in his ears was equal parts painful and annoying and the cuts on his left arm from the first tree Lotor had unintentionally felled stung but he really was alright.

"How's your arm? Don't think I didn't remember that tree got you," Mustang said warningly and Ed rolled his eyes, something that he quickly learned _hurt_ to do right now and he grimaced.

"It's fine. The cuts don't feel too bad," Ed told him grumpily as he continued to soothingly pat Den's hair in the only way he could help the dog.

"I'd like to look at them. We all know how high your pain tolerance is," Mustang said, a note of teasing in his voice. Ed sighed but nodded, knowing Mustang wouldn't leave him alone until he let him.

Mustang shifted so he was on Ed's left and gently tugged the teen's arm out of his jackets' ruined sleeves. Ed glanced over, though his petting of Den didn't falter in the slightest, and he took in the state of his arm. As he'd thought, the scratches weren't deep but they were big. There were three main ones that almost looked like claw marks, except they weren't equidistance from each other, as well as several smaller scratches – not unlike what a small cat scratch would look like – scattered on his arm. Mustang seemed to be eyeing them critically and Ed barely managed to stop the urge to roll his eyes. Both Pidge and Hunk seemed to be as amused as Ed was.

"I don't think you'll need stitches," Mustang finally said before he helped Ed pull his jackets back on properly without dislodging Den.

"I definitely won't," Ed told him, "but you can ask Lance yourself. Blue's just told me he's only a couple of minutes away."

"I will," Mustang told him. So far no one had brought up the fact that Mustang was actively fussing over him nor that Mustang's arm settled back on Ed's shoulders while they waited for the others to find them and Ed was more than happy for them to keep it that way, especially any they had when he leaned into Mustang's hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment! I really, really appreciate them so much and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about this chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

Sure enough, only a couple of minutes after Mustang had checked Ed's left arm, Blue, Red and Black burst through the trees and streaked straight for the seven who sat in the battle-damaged clearing. Ed knew that their Paladins were still some distance behind them since the three Lions hadn't bothered to wait for them to catch up and any human would be hard pressed to keep up with a Lion running at full speed. Den's ears perked up at the sound of the Lions breaching the tree line and Ed almost let out a cry of relief at the proof that Den's hearing hadn't been permanently affected by the stun grenade Lotor had set off. He scratched the dog's ears gently as the three Lions made their way over to them.

" _Cub! Are you alright?!"_ Blue was the first to reach him and therefore the first who got to fuss over him, nuzzling his cheek before she backed away and took in his appearance as a whole.

"I'm alright, Blue. Hell of a headache and my arm got scratched to hell by the tree Lotor accidentally hit instead of me and Mustang but I'm alright," Ed promised her, giving her a tired smile.

" _Are you sure? Green said it was a stun grenade,"_ Black asked as she joined Blue, nudging the other Lion out of the way so she could fuss over Ed in her place. Blue huffed and moved to check on her sisters, leaving Black to mother-hen to her heart's content. Red shot Ed a concerned look as she walked past but she made the wise decision to wait until Black was done before she checked on Ed herself, choosing to check on Yellow instead.

"I'm sure," Ed told her, "and yeah, it was a stun grenade. I think Lotor realised his chances of making it out of the fight against us alive was slim to none so he armed the grenade and threw it before making his escape," he said.

" _So it was definitely Lotor?"_ Black asked, voice turning dangerous as the end of her tail twitched.

"Yeah, I don't know of many Amestrians who have lavender skin and yellow eyes," Ed told her and was a little taken aback by the viciousness in the snarl that followed his confirmation.

Black visibly calmed herself down before she spoke again. _"I am glad that you are alright. That all of you are alright,"_ Black told him, nudging his cheek before turning her eyes to Mustang and Den. Ed took the hint and repeated her words to Mustang.

"Thank you, Black. I'm glad they're alright as well," Mustang told her and Ed fought not to show the blush that threatened to show when Mustang squeezed his shoulders a little tighter.

"How far away are your Paladins?" Ed asked, trying to move the conversation along when he felt the amusement of his struggles resonate through the three Lions whose heads weren't currently ringing from the stun grenade.

" _Only five or so minutes,"_ Black answered with no guilt about leaving them in their wake, _"and it's not just our pilots on their way,"_ Black told him.

Ed frowned. "Who else is with them? Don't tell me it's Granny," Ed said. He wouldn't put it past the old woman to come storming into the clearing to yell at him and Mustang for getting Lotor's attention, whether it was intentional or not.

" _No, it's not your grandmother,"_ Black told him. _"Lieutenant Havoc, Captain Hawkeye and Alphonse arrived back at Pinako's in the same moment Green warned us what was happening. The three of them joined us in coming to your aid,"_ Black informed him.

"Well that was good timing on their part," Ed said before he repeated the news to Mustang. "Did they get the truck?" Ed asked. The amount of time between Hawkeye, Havoc and Al going into town and when Green sent the warning had him confused. It wouldn't have taken two-ish hours for them to get the truck if it had been in Resembool and for Al to finish the shopping but at the same time, it would've taken more than two hours for the truck to be sent to Resembool from East City, even if Resembool had called and requested one the moment the trio had left Pinako's.

" _No, the truck is being driven to Resembool since any truck that had been held at Resembool has been utilised by those in Ishval,"_ Black answered. _"Captain Hawkeye made the decision to help Alphonse bring the shopping back to Pinako's and wait for the Resembool military outpost to call with the news that the truck had arrived since it could be a few more hours as yet,"_ Black told Ed, who dutifully repeated it to Mustang.

"Oh good. Havoc will be able to check over your injuries," Mustang said with a small, relieved sigh that had Ed rolling his eyes once more. He was happy to find that this time it didn't hurt to do so. "How's your head now?" Mustang asked after a moment.

"Better," Ed told him. "The ringing in my ears has died down and so has the headache. I'm pretty sure my sense of balance is still shot though," Ed admitted with a grumble. He hadn't tried standing up – not wanting to dislodge Den while he was still recovering – but this wasn't the first time his sense of balance had been affected in a fight and he still felt the signs that getting up was not a good idea.

Mustang frowned, allowing his concern to show and Pidge must've seen it because she was quick to speak up. "You should only feel like that for a few minutes, maybe an hour at the most. It's very rare that a stun grenade affects someone longer than that," Pidge assured him and Ed gave her a grateful smile.

Ed went to tell Mustang to stop looking so worried about him when movement in front and to the right of him had him looking back over at Pidge and Hunk. He soon realised what had caught his attention and he watched with bated breath as Green and Yellow moved out of Pidge and Hunk's laps and tried to get to their feet. Ed could feel Mustang watching with the same amount of intensity as the two Lions pulled themselves up and their Paladins get to their feet, hovering nearby them but far away enough that if their Lion went back down, they wouldn't be crushed by them.

"Are you two alright?" Ed asked them once they were on their feet. Both Lions were shaking their heads but Ed was quick to realise they were trying to get rid of the fuzzy, off-balanced feeling in them rather than answering his question.

" _I think so,"_ Green said after a few seconds of trying to clear her mind. She went to take a step forward and immediately careened to her right, running into both Pidge and Blue – both of whom had moved the moment they realised Green would still be unbalanced. _"Maybe not,"_ Green said with a small huff of laughter that had Ed smiling slightly.

" _I second that,"_ Yellow said as she was saved from collapsing by both Hunk and Black.

Ed knew he needed to check what kind of condition Den was in so – even though he really didn't want to – Ed lifted the old collie dog off his lap and set him on his own feet just in front of him. He almost unbalanced himself as he leant forward but Mustang caught him and helped him straighten back up. Den didn't look happy and he was shaking his head as though he had water inside his ears as well. "Come here, Den," Ed ordered softly, patting his thighs in encouragement. Den wagged his tail lightly as he took a step forward and toppled over immediately. Having expected that, Ed moved quickly and scooped the dog back up and into his lap before he hit the ground. The sudden movement caused his head to swim and he screwed his eyes shut as he fought against the sensation. He felt the Lions' worry and Den squirmed in his arms once more before he licked Ed on the cheek in an effort to comfort one of his favourite humans while Mustang's grip tightened almost to the point where it was painful.

" _Are you alright, Ed?"_ Red asked and Ed felt something larger than Den brush up against him. He opened his eyes to find Red peering at him worriedly.

"Yeah," Ed said, voice more of a gasp than not. "Guess I moved too quickly," he said with a wry smile that had Red and the other Lions rolling their eyes.

" _No, you think?"_ Red asked sarcastically and Ed's grin turned to one of amusement as he huffed out some laughter.

"I think you've been spending too much time with the Paladins," Ed told her.

" _Speaking of Paladins,"_ Black said, her eyes moving to the same spot she, Blue and Red had come running through, _"ours are just about to show up. Ed, brace yourself,"_ Black warned the blonde alchemist and he silently thanked her, ignoring the fact that her warning was more amusement than not.

"Heads up," Ed warned Mustang. The sound of multiple people running through the woods was soon heard, negating the need for the warnings but Ed felt himself bracing himself just as Black warned him to do as six people appeared from the tree line in almost exactly the same spot the three Lions had done only minutes prior.

"Brother!" Al called, voice frantic as he spotted Ed sitting on the ground with Mustang supporting him, Red next to him and Den laying in his lap. Al didn't bother waiting for the others as he raced straight for his brother, outpacing them easily in his rush to get to Ed's side. "Are you alright?" Al asked as he hit his knees once he was next to Ed, nearly hitting Red in the process. "Sorry, Red," Al quickly apologised to the Lion, sparing her a glance before his attention was back on Ed, eyes raking over his brother's form and taking in the injuries he'd suffered.

"I'm okay, Al," Ed said. He did _not_ like the fact that Al only seemed to believe him when Mustang gave the youngest Elric a confirming nod.

"General! Ed! Are the two of you okay?" Hawkeye's voice sounded from behind them and Ed noted the concern that he only ever heard in her voice when she was truly worried about him and/or Mustang. He couldn't figure out why until he realised that it was very likely that whichever Paladin who hadn't been with him and Mustang told the three other Amestrians what had happened had likely only told them a stun grenade had been used without realising there was no such thing in Amestris so none of the Amestrians would've known what kind of dangers one would possess.

"We're fine, Captain," Mustang answered before Ed could. "Fullmetal came out of it a little more banged up than the rest of us but I don't think any of us are truly surprised by that," he said dryly and Ed only resisted the urge to smack him in the shoulder because a- Hawkeye would've been disappointed with him and b- he likely would've lost Mustang's literal support and would've face-planted into the ground as a result.

"Lance told us it was a stun grenade?" Havoc asked as he knelt down next to Mustang and all but physically shoved his commanding officer out of the way so he could get to Ed's injured arm. Mustang merely looked amused as he moved and allowed Havoc and Al to keep Ed upright. "Anyone want to explain exactly what one of those is and what they do to someone?" Havoc asked, his voice a touch biting but Ed didn't blame him for it. It was a very rare occasion one of the team was hurt by something unknown and when they were, Havoc was usually told what the thing did in extreme detail immediately.

"You guys don't have stun grenades here?" Lance asked, voice stricken with guilt as he looked over at the Amestrians from where he was standing next to Hunk and Yellow.

"No but don't you dare blame yourself for not knowing," Ed said immediately, hissing in pain when Havoc removed his arm from the jacket sleeves. Apparently in the few minutes it had been since Mustang had checked it, any blood that had still been oozing from the injuries had dried to the jacket sleeves, making it stick. He ignored Havoc's apologies as he faced Lance. "How would you know the full range of our weaponry?" Ed asked the Cuban. When Lance couldn't immediately come up with an answer, Ed nodded in satisfaction. "Exactly. You couldn't so as far as you knew, we knew what a stun grenade was so why would you have taken the time to explain what one did?" Ed asked rhetorically.

"I'm sorry if you thought I was taking a shot at you, Lance," Havoc piped up from beside Ed, "and I do hope you know I'm not actually mad however this still hasn't answered my question," Havoc pointed out as he rummaged through his small medkit for what he needed.

"Right, sorry," Pidge said before anyone else could. "A stun grenade produces an explosion loud enough to temporarily deafen whoever's within its range as well as a light that's bright enough to temporarily blind anyone close enough to it. The explosion also disrupts the fluid in the middle and inner ear which destroys the person's sense of balance and can leave them disorientated and feeling concussed. Those sensations are also temporary but can take several minutes to an hour to disappear," Pidge explained quickly.

"So a stun grenade can't physically cause an injury outside of what you just listed?" Havoc asked, frowning as he took in the scratches that littered Ed's left arm.

"No. Well," Pidge said, changing her answer slightly, "it _can_ cause third degree burns or shrapnel injuries if the person who arms the grenade doesn't get rid of it quickly enough but it's so rare for a stun grenade to cause those kinds of an injury to a person it's used against that it's practically unheard of," Pidge told him.

"So what are these injuries from?" Havoc asked Ed, though he did look up at Mustang – who was now standing off to the side with Hawkeye – for an answer.

"Tree got me," Ed told him, nodding his head over his shoulder to the tree that had been felled on the other side of the clearing. "Den had moved at the sound of the tree being hit but he'd moved _into_ the path of where the tree was going to fall as he tried to get away from the noise," Ed said as he stroked Den's coat soothingly while the dog lapped up the attention. "I managed to grab him and get him out of the way but a branch caught my arm before I was completely clear of it," Ed told them.

"Of course you got injured because you were saving someone else," Al sighed as he finally moved from his crouch so he could sit next to Ed and join him in patting Den.

"I've gotta clean these big scratches out, Chief," Havoc said but didn't move to do so. "It's likely that I'm gonna have to wrap them and look at them again while we're at Pinako's. You'll probably have splinters of wood trapped in them that I won't be able to see without the right equipment," Havoc explained.

Ed sighed through his nose in displeasure but nodded his understanding. "Yeah, alright," Ed agreed and with his permission given, Havoc got to work.

"Do you want me to take a look at your cheek, General Mustang?" Lance asked as he approached the gathered Amestrians.

"He will literally badger you until you give in," Ed warned Mustang before the older alchemist could try and turn Lance's offer down.

"Thank you, Lance," Mustang said, a touch resigned as he gave Lance a nod. Lance grinned at him as he pulled his backpack off his back and rummaged through it.

"Before Blue and Yellow changed, I grabbed both their medkits in case we got hurt," Lance explained as he pulled one out. "They've got our medicine in them so it shouldn't be too long for you guys to heal up if you wanna use it," Lance offered as he pulled out the paper towels and healing goop Ed recognised from the medbay in the Castle-Ship.

"That'd be great," Ed said as Lance tore a bit of the towel off and wiped Mustang's cheek clean of dried blood. The injury to his face hadn't been significant enough to cause Mustang any pain but it ran almost the entire length of his cheek bone. Ed noticed Havoc watching Lance with a touch of wariness but a lot of curiousity as the teenager applied a dab of the healing goop to Mustang's cheek and wiped his finger off on the remaining piece of towel.

"You're all good, assuming that's your only injury?" Lance asked, blues eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"That was it," Mustang informed him with a brow raised in amusement. "Thank you, Lance," he said as Lance nodded in satisfaction and started to move away from Mustang to check out Ed's injury.

"You're welcome," Lance said with a winning smile before he turned his attention to Ed's arm. "Yeesh, dude. What'd you do to that poor tree to make it attack you like this?" Lance asked, eyes twinkling brightly as he teased the blonde.

"It started it," Ed said dryly, even as a grin of his own tugged his lips upwards. "Think I'll need stitches, Havoc?" Ed asked and was relieved when the blonde shook his head.

"No, by some miracle you don't need any," Havoc told him, a knowing grin on his face when Ed physically relaxed with the news.

"That's the kind of answer I like hearing," Ed said, ignoring Al's mutters about wishing Ed didn't even need to ask the question so often. "So what's the plan?" Ed asked, looking mostly at Mustang and Shiro.

"To get you, Den, Yellow and Green back to Pinako's so you can recover there?" Shiro said, sounding a little unsure about why Ed was asking that and looking mildly offended when Ed rolled his eyes at him.

"With Lotor," Ed clarified and watched as Shiro's cheeks pinkened slightly.

"What Shiro said," Mustang answered, saving the Black Paladin from doing so, "but with us leaving the four of you there so we can come back out here and try to track Lotor down," he told him.

Ed was not impressed with the plan. "You guys will lose him if you escort the four of us back then come back out here. It's nearly a forty-minute round trip and you've already wasted too much time with us!" Ed pointed out. "By the time you're back here, we'll likely be recovered enough to help you," he added, "so why don't you guys start tracking him now? Leave us here to recover and once we are, we'll figure out where you are so we can join you," Ed said but was met with numerous reluctant and disapproving expressions.

"We can't leave you here!" Lance snapped at the blonde. "None of you are in any position to fight if Lotor or someone else turns up," he told him and Ed nodded.

"So leave someone here," Ed said. "You or Alphonse, so long as your shoulder is healed enough that you can use your rifle," Ed suggested, looking at Lance. "That way we'll have someone who can fight and can do so from a distance. I saw your bayard in your backpack so I know you have it," Ed added before Lance could argue.

"Alphonse can't be the one to stay here," Mustang said, looking at the youngest Elric apologetically. "You and I are the only ones who know Fullmetal's tracking array and are physically able of using it right now if we needed to," Mustang explained. "If Lance is willing and able to, he'd be the best choice to stay here and guard the four who are injured."

Lance didn't look overly happy about missing out on the action but he gave a nod. "Yeah, I can stay back. My shoulder is practically healed anyway so it won't bother me," he said, flushing when Shiro gave him a proud smile.

"Alright, I'll just wrap these so nothing more can get into the injuries and I'll be right to join the search party," Havoc said from where he was still crouched next to Ed's left arm.

"No worries," Mustang said as Havoc pulled out the first roll of bandages and gauze he was going to use to protect the three large cuts on Ed's arms. "I want everyone to split into pairs," Mustang said. "I'd prefer someone who can contact a Lion with me and Hawkeye as well as a Paladin with Havoc and Alphonse," Mustang told them, looking at Shiro to assign the teams.

"Right." Shiro nodded before looking at the others critically. "Hunk, you go with the general and captain," Shiro ordered and Hunk gave a nod. "Pidge, you're with Alphonse," he said and she gave a nod. "Keith and Red." Both gave a nod as Red stepped away from Ed to stand next to her pilot. "Black will be with me and so long as you're okay with it, Havoc, you and Blue can team up," Shiro suggested.

"It's not that I don't have a problem with it but how exactly would she and I communicate?" Havoc asked. "Unlike you or the Chief, I don't speak Lion," he pointed out.

"Stick to 'yes' or 'no' questions," Ed told him. "Blue will just have to do her best to convey what she's saying with gestures," Ed added, looking a little concerned with how well the Blue Lion would manage that.

" _I'll be alright,"_ Blue promised him, her voice faint enough that Ed knew she was also reassuring Lance.

"That'll work," Havoc said with a slight nod as he wound a second bandage over another lot of gauze. "Are you alright with that?" Havoc asked Blue and Ed saw just how much more respect Havoc had gained from both Blue and her pilot at the fact that Havoc had bothered to ask her directly.

Blue nodded and Ed grinned. "See? You're both experts at this whole communicating without telepathy thing," Ed told them, grinning at Havoc who only rolled his eyes and tugged the bandage he was tying off a little tighter than necessary. Ed just laughed.

"All done, bossman," Havoc announced as he packed up his medkit and moved to stand next to his partner for the next couple of hours.

"Alright," Mustang said. "Lotor disappeared from that spot," he gestured to the tree with the scorch marks and the burnt clumps of what had been white hair, "when he set of that grenade. I didn't see him move past where Hunk, Pidge and I had been standing. Did you two see anything?" Mustang asked.

"I saw something moving deeper into the forest from where Lotor had been standing," Hunk offered a little nervously, like he thought he'd be reprimanded for not speaking up sooner.

Mustang just nodded before he looked at Pidge. When she shook her head, he continued with what he'd be saying. "I want the five teams to enter the forest with no more than ten metres between each team. If the trail deviates into a direction that'll separate a team further from the rest, call out so the others can adjust their trajectory," Mustang ordered and received nods from everyone. "Use the Lions and Paladins as relays for messages but remember that Blue can't talk to Havoc so make sure any message you pass onto her can be relayed easily to Havoc," he instructed and received another round of nods.

"It goes without saying that Lotor is dangerous and has far more tricks up his sleeve than we thought. I'm going to order you to think of him as a homunculous or as Haggar in terms of danger," Mustang said seriously, looking at all of them, "so I'm going to issue a 'kill on sight' order for him. However," Mustang said before anyone could do more than widen their eyes in surprise, "if you cannot take him out without endangering yourself, do not take the shot. I'd rather him get away for us to catch later than have one of you dead," Mustang told them. Waiting a few moments for his orders to sink in, Mustang looked at the Black Paladin. "Shiro?" Mustang said, prompting the young man to speak up now if he had something to say.

"I've got nothing more to add," Shiro said, "except that if you did as Lance did and kept your bayard on you instead of with your armour, use them. Don't worry about getting seen by someone from Amestris if you find Lotor and need to use your bayard," Shiro instructed and was happy to see the three other Paladins pull their bayards out of their pockets. It seemed having them get in the habit on the Castle-Ship to always have their bayards on their person, whether in their armour or not, had paid off. Allura would be very happy.

"If everyone's ready?" Mustang asked, tugging his flame alchemy gloves snuggly onto his hands.

Both Havoc and Hawkeye removed their weapons from their holsters. Hawkeye was stuck with just her standard military-issued pistol since she hadn't brought her rifle with her but Ed knew it wouldn't matter since Hawkeye was just as good with the pistol as she was with her rifle. The Paladins transformed their bayards into their chosen weapons and it took a few moments for Havoc, Hawkeye and Al to pick their metaphorical jaws up off the floor. Ed could see that Hawkeye was itching to ask Lance about his rifle but the blonde was quick to hide her curiousity behind her impassive mask. Since Shiro didn't use a bayard – too accustomed to using his Galran arm in battle – all he did was nod in satisfaction that his team's bayards worked well in this dimension.

Ed suddenly remembering something that would be important to both Mustang and Al. Calling out their names, he got their attention. "My tracking array never picked Lotor up," Ed reminded them and he saw Al's shock on his face. "It didn't pick him up when I checked the clearing Pidge and Hunk were using and he didn't show up when he disappeared after that first shot was fired at me and Mustang," Ed told them. "Somehow he's able to hide his life energy from the array so it is useless as a tracking tool for Lotor," Ed said.

"Well that is thoroughly inconvenient," Al complained, causing several of them – including Ed – to chuckle.

"When we catch up to him, we'll make sure to lecture him about it," Ed told his brother. "You lot better get going before he gets too far ahead of you," Ed instructed everyone, nodding to the trees. He didn't bother trying to convince the others that he was alright enough to join them now since his ears were still ringing and he still felt the all-too familiar signs that his internal sense of balance hadn't returned to him. He'd be a hindrance to the group and he knew it.

"Keep your eyes peeled. Use Green, Yellow or Lance to send us a message if something happens," Shiro ordered and Ed gave a nod, as did Lance and the two Lions, both of whom were being escorted closer to Ed by their Paladins and Black and Red. Once they were close enough to the blonde for Ed to touch them, they settled themselves back onto the ground before they collapsed. "We'll be back once we've gotten Lotor unless something happens to change that," Shiro told them. The worry he felt about leaving Ed, Green and Yellow with only Lance to defend them was blatantly obvious but he didn't act on his worry.

"We'll be fine, Shiro," Lance told his team leader who gave him a flat look.

"You and Ed are the biggest trouble magnets in this dimension _and_ ours so forgive my worry," Shiro said. Ed shot Havoc, Mustang and Al a glare for chuckling at Shiro's comment while Lance gave the man a wounded look. "Don't bother denying it," Shiro said before he gave Lance and Ed a smile. "Look out for each other and the others," he said, nodding to Green, Yellow and Den and received nods in return.

"We'll see you lot soon," Mustang said before facing the teams. "Let's spread out and start tracking," he ordered, gesturing for them to do so.

Ed, Lance, Green, Yellow and Den watched as the five teams moved to where Mustang ordered them to do so along the tree line. Mustang had Shiro and Black take up position where Lotor had last been seen standing and Ed wasn't surprised. It made more sense to have a Lion there with their superior sense of smell to track Lotor rather than three humans who could only look for signs of disturbed earth and plant life. Once everyone was in line with Red and Keith taking up position on Mustang, Hawkeye and Hunk's lefts, Alphonse and Pidge in the middle and Blue and Havoc on Shiro and Black's rights, Mustang gave the signal for them to move forward and all of them followed without hesitation.

"They'll be fine," Lance said once the last of them had faded from their sights. Ed noted that Lance's gaze didn't move from the tree line even after the teams had vanished into the trees.

Ed didn't comment on the way Lance sounded like he was trying to assure himself more of that fact than Ed. "Course they will be," Ed said, his own eyes not leaving the tree line as he continued patting Den's coat, refusing to show his own worry as he did so.

* * *

Shiro glanced over to his left and spotted the forms of Alphonse and Pidge walking alongside one another roughly ten metres from him. He couldn't hear what the two were talking about but Al was gesturing to certain things on the ground in front of them so Shiro figured he was trying to teach Pidge how to track something. What they were tracking, Shiro didn't know since Black was still hot on Lotor's trail. Shaking his head silently, Shiro glanced over to his right and spotted the Blue Lion skulking through the woods with Havoc on her right. Shiro could see that the blonde smoker had his gun half-raised so he was ready at any moment to raise it completely to fire a bullet if needed.

"Still got the scent?" Shiro asked, looking at his Lion, who was a step or two in front of him with her nose dipping to the ground every few seconds.

" _Yes,"_ she told him, a touch curtly but Shiro didn't take it personally. He had been asking her that question frequently enough that he was sure Black was now toying with the idea of 'accidentally' scratching him the next time he asked.

It had been roughly two and a half hours since Lotor had attacked and taken down Ed, Green, Yellow and Den and it had been a little over two hours since those who hadn't been involved in the fight or affected by the stun grenade used had started tracking Lotor through the woods just past the Rockbell property line. Black kept in constant contact with the two other Lions with the search team and had had Green and Yellow act as relays to the two teams that had one of their pilots with them any time Black sensed the trail veering in another direction. Shiro was pleased to see that Havoc and Blue seemed to be having no troubles making themselves understood to their partner but that was one of the very few things he was pleased about at the moment.

Lotor's scent wasn't growing any stronger the longer they followed it which meant they weren't gaining any ground on the deranged alien prince. The only silver lining – as small as it may have been – was that the scent wasn't growing any weaker so they weren't losing any ground just yet. Shiro had also noted that Lotor must've received some sort of advanced stealth training because the only signs Shiro could see of anyone having walked along this track recently was the occasional heel print and damaged leaf. If Black didn't have Lotor's scent, Shiro knew they would've lost the trail and been forced to turn back to the clearing Lance, Ed, Den and the two missing Lions were waiting.

There was only the sound of the forest life and their walking to be heard for a few more minutes with Black only breaking it to tell Shiro and her sisters that Lotor's trail was heading to the right sharply. The teams adjusted their directions while Shiro and Black continued walking, following the new trail. Shiro could feel his confusion echoed in Black. The whole time they'd been tracking Lotor, his trail had only veered off a relatively straight course when there was an obstacle in the way or to avoid any clearings. This time however, Lotor had veered almost directly to his right with absolutely no reason that Black or Shiro could see for the sudden and abrupt direction change.

However, only two or three minutes later, the reason became all too clear. Black's ears perked up at a new noise and Shiro almost tripped over his feet at the unexpected sound of his Lion snarking in frustration. "What's the matter?" Shiro asked, his Galran arm lighting up purple as he scanned the area for any sign of danger.

" _There's a creek up ahead. I have a feeling that's why Lotor changed directions,"_ Black told him and Shiro felt his stomach sink slightly.

"You think he decided to use the water to try and mask his scent?" Shiro asked and Black nodded. "Well, even if he did, he'll have had to come out of the water at some stage so we can pick his scent back up on the other side somewhere," Shiro said optimistically. The look Black gave him to him that his Lion didn't hold the same faith he did. "Can you let your sisters know? I want Red and Keith on the other side of the creek bank so she can find his scent there," Shiro told her and Black gave a nod.

It took nearly a minute for Shiro to hear Black's amused snort preceding her voice in his mind. _"Red's cub is not impressed with having to wade through the creek and neither is Red but they'll both do it. Green and Yellow have told their Paladins what's going on and Blue's gonna try her best but she feels as though Havoc will figure it out when they see the water,"_ Black told him and Shiro gave a nod to show he'd heard her.

When the creek finally came into view, Shiro and Black came to a stop. Though the water wasn't completely clear with the dirt and debris in it, Shiro could see enough to know that Keith would be wading through water that would at least come up to his hips and he mentally apologised to the Red Paladin. He could see the water was running relatively quickly but he knew that Keith and Red would be able to get across it with minimal troubles. He could feel the glare coming from the red pair but he pretended to be too busy looking for any physical signs of Lotor's trail to notice. It wasn't until he heard a splash that he looked over to find Red helping Keith cross the creek safely.

" _Red wants to know what you want her and Keith to do now,"_ Black said the moment Red and Keith were out of the water and Red had shaken herself as dry as possible.

"Have her and Keith move about three or four metres away from the bank and start walking downstream until someone gets the scent," Shiro instructed. "Also, ask Red to have herself and Keith keep an eye out for a recent damp patch. There's no way Lotor came out of that river dry and I don't think there's been enough time for the earth to dry completely," Shiro explained.

" _They'll do it,"_ Black said after a few moments.

"Hey, Shiro?" Pidge's voice sounded from behind them and Shiro looked over. "Why are you so sure Lotor went downstream?" she asked.

"Because the current is strong enough that I don't think he'd try walking against it and because he'd likely know that if you follow a creek, stream or river downstream, you'll eventually come across a town or farmhouse at least," Shiro told her.

"Alphonse, do you know where this creek leads?" Mustang asked and Al's face pinched in thought.

"I know there are several properties that back onto this creek and use it as one of their water sources," Al told them after a few moments, "then it bypasses Resembool entirely. The people who live in Resembool get their water from a different creek. This one comes out in Kaumafy and supplies that town with their water," Al informed them.

"How many properties?" Mustang asked but Al shook his head.

"I couldn't tell you, sir," he told him apologetically. "I know there's at least five between here and Resembool who use this creek but beyond that, I don't have a clue."

"That's alright. I think I would've been more surprised if you'd been able to give me an actual answer," Mustang told Al, letting him know that he wasn't mad or disappointed at all. "Hopefully we'll get Lotor's scent further up," Mustang said, looking about as optimistic in their chances of that happening as he would with getting Ed to turn his reports in within a timely manner without ordering Hawkeye to act as his and Ed's middleman.

Shiro gave Mustang a nod before he gestured to Keith and Red, silently ordering them to start tracking from their side. It was in that moment that Shiro realised that they were the only team on that side of the creek and would be the only ones there if they caught up to Lotor and he was on that side. He gave Keith and Red a gesture to have them stop before he turned to Mustang, Hawkeye and Hunk. "Can the three of you head across and back up Red and Keith?" Shiro asked.

Mustang didn't look awfully happy but had no choice when both Hunk and Hawkeye nodded and started wading across the creek. Shiro had to hide his chuckles when Mustang gave a small, defeated sigh before he joined them. The Black Paladin could've sworn that he heard Havoc mutter something about Mustang and water not mixing but he decided against asking the lieutenant to repeat what he said, especially while Mustang was within hearing range.

Shiro waited until Black told him that the three humans were in position ten metres off Red and Keith's left and for the two teams still with him to spread themselves off to his right before he gave Black a nod and once again gestured to Keith and Red to start walking. Black, Blue and Red all had their noses to the ground as they tried to pick up on Lotor's scent once more. Shiro spent the time he was following Black alternating between looking for damp patches of earth near the creek bed, other physical signs that someone had recently passed through the area and shoving down the feeling that Lotor was long gone.

* * *

"How long have they been gone?" Ed resisted the urge to sigh at the tenth asking of the exact same question as he pulled his pocket watch out of his pocket.

"About three and a half hours," Ed told Lance as he closed the watch and placed it back in the pocket he kept it in. He didn't judge Lance for the sigh that sounded like a mixture of boredom and worry that the Blue Paladin let out at Ed's answer since the blonde felt the same way. "You've heard nothing from Blue since she told us about the creek?" Ed asked, craning his neck up from where he laid against Lance's backpack and his own red jacket so he could see the other teenager.

"No, nothing yet," Lance said as he leaned against Yellow. "How's your head and arm?" Lance asked, changing the subject.

"My head's still completely clear. The ringing and concussed feelings haven't come back," Ed told him honestly. He hadn't appreciated it when he first noticed the ringing had stopped an hour or so after everyone had left to track Lotor down only for it to come back full force when he went to stand up. Lance had been the one to grab him before he fell over and had been the one to suggest he try laying down to see if that would help him recover quicker. "My arm stings a little but that's to be expected so I'm not worried," Ed told him, flapping his automail hand before Lance could say anything.

"Alright," Lance said, dropping the subject of Ed's arm though it was obvious he didn't want to. "How are the two of you going?" Lance asked Yellow and Green, though he did look at Ed for the answer since Ed was the only one aside from Allura who could speak to all the Lions.

"They say they feel better. They want to try getting and walking around in a couple of minutes," Ed dutifully relayed.

Like Ed, both Lions had tried walking around after giving the effects of the stun grenade the hour Pidge reckoned it would take to wear off but, like Ed, they found themselves hitting the ground after only a couple of steps when the disorientation and dizziness hit them in full force again. Unfortunately for them, Lance wasn't able to stop them from hitting the ground so they came out of the experiment with a couple of bruises and a lot of muttering about what they'd like to do to Lotor when they got their claws on him.

"I'm glad you are," Lance sat, looking at the Lions as he scratched whatever part of them that he could reach. "How's Den?" the Blue pilot asked once he finished ruffling Yellow's ears.

"He's good, I think," Ed told him, scratching Den's shoulder. The collie dog was sprawled along Ed's side, resting his head on Ed's stomach as he napped. The pats caused Den to slowly thump his tail against the dirt but the dog didn't even wake up. "I'll wait to see how the Lions go next time they're up before I wake him up and have him try walking on his own again," Ed told Lance.

"Fair enough," Lance said before they lapsed back into silence.

They'd spent the first couple of hours filling the time swapping stories – the elation of being able to do so in person still not having died off even though it had been well over a day since Voltron had crashed in the Ishvalen desert – but they had finally run out of things to talk about and were now sitting in companionable silence until one of them thought of a topic they hadn't spoken about. It only took a few minutes for that to happen, something that resulted in Ed ranting about Widdon, Combes and – to a smaller degree – Smythe for close to half an hour when Lance had asked about what was happening with them. They had then wasted another twenty minutes thinking of ways to get revenge against the generals and get away with it. Ed was of the opinion that he could murder the generals in front of Grumman and the Fuhrer would turn a blind eye but Lance decided that that should really be a last resort sort of thing. Ed, Green and Yellow thought Lance was a spoilsport.

"So, wait, why was Smythe part of your rant? I thought he wasn't even posted in Central?" Lance asked after a few moments of silence after Ed's rant and their planning.

"He's not," Ed told him. "He got booted to South City – well I think that's where he was posted so don't quote me on that – shortly after the whole fiasco with Moore," Ed said, an interesting mixture of severe irritation and almost overwhelming amusement on his face as his memories of the person who'd sent him and Mustang on their second inter-dimensional trip in an attempt to get revenge on the two of them for Thomas Harding's death came to the forefront of his mind. "Nah, I really only wanna make him realise how much better it would be for his health if he learned to grow a fucking spine and didn't follow Combes and Widdon like a love-starved puppy desperate for any and all kinds of approval," Ed informed him seriously, making Lance chuckle alongside Yellow and Green.

"Has anyone ever told you how refreshing your blunt attitude is?" Lance asked as he calmed himself down from his giggles.

"Yeah, quite a few people actually. Though just as many have told me that I really should learn to sugar-coat things," Ed told him.

"What'd you say back to them?" Lance asked curiously. He could feel Green's and Yellow's intrigued gazes on the blonde as they waited for the answer.

"I told them to fuck off," Ed said, causing Lance to let out a bark of laughter at the truly Ed-like answer he had been expecting. Both Green and Yellow chuffed in laughter as well. Ed grinned at their amusement as he continued running his fingers through Den's coat.

" _Can you ask Lance to sit up? I think I'd like to give the whole walking thing another go now,"_ Yellow said to Ed and the blonde was quick to pass the message over to Lance.

Ed sat up while Lance moved himself out of the way, apologising to Den as he moved the collie's head off his stomach and into his lap so he could observe the two Lions. Yellow and Green were nice enough to wait for the two humans to get out of the potential danger zone before they pulled themselves to their feet once more. Both Lions wobbled slightly as they stood and Ed heard Lance gasp sharply but neither of them moved to stop the Lions. After shaking their heads a couple of times, both Yellow and Green took a cautious step forward. When neither of them immediately went down, they took another then another before they trotted gleefully towards the two humans.

" _There's no more dizziness! The unbalanced feeling is gone as well!"_ Green told Ed giddily as she rubbed her cheek against his while Ed wrapped his right arm around her neck.

"That's great!" Ed said, soon echoed by Lance when Ed told him what Green had said. "Get off me so I can see if Den and I are alright now," Ed ordered, shoving Green away lightly and was rewarded with a sulking Lion. "Knock it off," Ed chided gently, ruffling her ears as she huffed and stepped away from him and Den.

"Are you sure, Ed?" Lance couldn't help but ask as he watched his friend gingerly push Den off his lap so he could get to his feet.

"Yup," was all Ed said in response. Once he was standing full upright, Ed eyed up Yellow and headed towards her and Lance, grinning when the dizziness and disorientation didn't make itself known for a third time. "Alright, I think I'm all good," Ed said, giving Lance a reassuring smile when he noticed the concern still lingering in the teen's blue eyes. "Your turn, Den," Ed announced, turning to face the collie dog, who was still lying where Ed had placed him. "Come on, boy," Ed called, giving a small whistle as he patted his thigh softly. Den gave a small whine but Ed didn't let him get away with it as he gave another, sharper whistle. Den huffed and pulled himself up onto his feet before he limped his way towards the blonde calling him. "Good job, Den!" Ed exclaimed happily, crouching once the dog had made it all the way to him without falling and gave him plenty of pats as a reward that had Den lolling his tongue happily as he leant into the affection.

"Should we see how far the others have made it and offer to join up with them?" Lance asked once Ed had straightened once more. Den was still leaning against his leg but Ed was a little surprised to that the collie was completely relaxed, despite there being two Lions within a metre of him.

"Yeah, might as well give them a hand if they need it," Ed said before he opened his bonds with Black, Blue and Red. "Hey guys. The last of the effects from the stun grenade have finally left us so we're all ready to join the search party. Where are you?" Ed asked the three Lions.

" _We're very happy the four of you have completely recovered,"_ Black said warmly and both Blue and Red echoed her words. _"However, we're now on our way back,"_ she told him. _"We lost the trail when Lotor entered the creek we told you about. We followed the creek downstream for half an hour but Mustang and Shiro agreed that Lotor must've continued walking in the creek since we hadn't found any evidence of him leaving it in that time. We turned back for you guys about fifteen minutes ago. It shouldn't take us more than an hour or so to reach you since we won't be going as slow as we had been,"_ Black told him.

Ed bit back his disappointment that not only were they not needed but that Lotor had given everyone the slip. "Alright," Ed said. "Which way did you guys go?" Ed asked.

" _To the right?"_ Black answered though it certainly sounded more like a question than a response.

Ed chuckled slightly, something he felt Black pout at before he spoke. "Have Shiro ask Al whether you lot went towards the Stevens' property or whether you're closer to the Wallen's property," Ed instructed Black before turning his attention to Lance and repeating the news. Lance let out an impressive string of Spanish cuss words that had Ed grinning.

" _Alphonse says that we're on the Wallen's side of the creek,"_ Black reported and Ed gave a small sigh.

"Alright," Ed said as he thought. "We'll head back to Granny's. You guys have Al lead you through the Wallen property then cut across Old Man Chris' place. You'll cut at least half an hour off your walk if you don't have to divert back to us," Ed told her.

It took a couple of minutes for Black to get back to him with everyone's responses but Ed truly hadn't expected anything less. He didn't think the idea would've been very popular. _"Shiro wants me to tell you that the five of you had better be at Pinako's when we turn up or he'll be extremely disappointed in you all,"_ Black told him and Ed rolled his eyes. _"We'll see you soon,"_ she said.

"See you soon," Ed echoed before allowing the connection to fall silent. "We're gonna head back to Granny's. Al's gonna take the others along a shorter route and meet us there," Ed told the Blue Paladin.

"Sounds good. I'm getting bored sitting around here anyways," Lance told him with a large grin that had Ed shaking his head at him.

"Keep your bayard out, just in case," Ed suggested when he saw Lance move to put his bayard back in his reclaimed backpack. Ed accepted his tattered red jacket back with a nod and watched Lance shoulder his backpack before he shoved his bayard into his olive-green jacket pocket.

"Good to go?" Lance asked and Ed nodded as he tossed his red jacket over his right shoulder, not bothering pull it on.

"Yup. You two?" Ed asked, looking at Yellow and Green, both of whom gave him a nod each, eager to get moving after spending nearly four hours unable to do so without risking introducing their face to the ground. "Awesome. Let's get moving."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you and much love to those of you who left me a review on the last chapter! I really, really appreciate it and I hope I'll hear from you again after you've read this chapter! See you all next week!


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you physically incapable of doing _one_ thing without getting your idiot self injured, boy?!" Pinako sounded the definition of exasperated and pissed off as she glared at Ed, Lance, Green, Yellow and Den as they made their way towards where she stood on the front porch with her hands on her hips and an infuriated expression on her face as she took in the bandages around Ed's left arm.

"It's not like I went out there with the intention of almost getting killed, you cranky old bat!" Ed snarled, unwilling to expend the necessary energy to not rise to her bait. He swore he heard the faint sound of Al yelling at him to behave himself but he knew it was just part of his imagination since Al and the group with him were at least another half an hour away.

"Ed, maybe it's a good idea _not_ to antagonise the woman whose medical equipment we need?" Lance suggested nervously, twitching slightly when Pinako's glare increased.

"She won't withhold her medical gear from us," Ed said confidently. "It'd be a poor way to thank one of the three beings responsible for Den not being killed," Ed told him, grinning slyly when he saw Pinako's lips purse as her eyes flicked down to her dog. Lance's mouth gaped in disbelief; first at Ed then at Pinako when all she did was huff.

"I assume your injuries aren't life-threatening enough that you can't wait for your team medic to get back here?" Pinako asked, voice a touch terse but Ed didn't pay any attention to it when he noticed the old woman's attention was firmly on Den now.

He felt a little bad at using the fact that he'd gotten hurt rescuing Den to get Pinako off his back but after nearly 18 years of being lectured every time he got hurt from his adopted grandmother, his patience in dealing with it was a little low. Coupled with the facts that Lotor had gotten the drop on him, hurting Den and two of the Lions in the process and rendering the four of them unable to help protect the others while they tried hunting him down and Ed's patience was practically non-existent. Honestly, in Ed's opinion, he felt like he deserved a pat on the back for guilt tripping Pinako rather than snapping completely at her.

"I'm fine. Havoc just wants to clean the injury out properly since it was caused by a tree," Ed told her as he, Lance, Den and the Lions moved onto the veranda to stand level with Pinako. "You've got better equipment to help him find all the little splinters and shit," Ed said with a small shrug.

"Hmph," Pinako huffed. "I suppose I should allow him to use my equipment. Heaven knows I certainly wouldn't want to put up with your whining if you got an infection from it," she said with a long-suffering sigh. Ed's response was to glare when he saw the teasing glint in her eyes and that glare was aimed at Lance only a moment later when Ed heard his chuckles. Ed then flicked both Lions on an ear each when he felt their amusement.

"Zip it, the lot of you," Ed said threateningly. Lance had the audacity to mime zipping his lips shut, his smirk strengthening when Ed's glare intensified.

"Why don't the two of you cut out your childish behaviour, come inside and tell what happened to cause my dog to start liking the Lions?" Pinako suggested, casting a significant look at Den who, now that they were on the veranda, was giving Green and Yellow the dog equivalent of an adoring look.

"Long story and part of my argument as to why Den is a bigger idiot than I am when it come to dangerous situations," Ed informed her seriously. The flat look he got in response made him chuckle before he gestured for everyone to follow him inside. "I hope your kettle's been boiled recently, Granny. I think I speak for both me and Lance when I say we need a good cup of coffee," Ed told her. He didn't even have to look over his shoulder to know that Lance was nodding enthusiastically in agreement. Green and Yellow's amusement told him everything he needed to know.

"You're in luck," Pinako croaked. "I was just about to start making lunch for myself when Alphonse, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc returned from town. They barely even got their shopping through the door when the three Lions here tore out the front door like bats out of hell and their Paladins following moments later after spewing some nonsense about stun grenades. I'd only just gotten around to remaking my lunch when I spotted you five heading back," Pinako told them. "I don't think Lance here got more than 'the others have been attacked and Ed and the Lions have been hurt' out of his mouth before Al, Hawkeye and Havoc were on their tails," she said with a small amused huff.

"She's not wrong," Lance confirmed as they headed through the entrance and living room so Ed and Lance could take a seat at the small kitchen table.

"I honestly don't know why I'm even a little surprised to hear that," Ed said with a small sigh as he took his usual seat at the table. He gave Den an amused smirk when the dog looked thoroughly torn between sitting next to Ed or next to Green. "Looks like you've got an admirer, Green," Ed said through their bond and Green rolled her eyes before she joined Ed at the table, laying at his feet and making Den's decision easier. Ed ruffled Den's ears once the dog had joined them, squeezing in between where Ed sat and Green lay.

" _I'll admit that I'm glad that he's warmed up to us now. I didn't realise how much it hurt to have someone like Den – who loves you so fiercely – so defensive because of us, even though we don't pose a threat to you,"_ Green told him and Ed nudged her comfortingly with his foot.

"Den didn't know that. You weren't only strangers to him but you are literally an alien species and he didn't know what to make of that. Apparently, all it took was you saving his life for him to realise you guys aren't all that bad," Ed told her, a cheerful note in his voice that had Green shaking her head at him even as she fought a smile.

"Do the four of you want lunch now or do you want to wait for the others?" Pinako asked, turning back to face them. "It's gonna be nothing fancier than sandwiches," she informed them.

"Ed, Den and the Lions need food to help recover from the attack," Lance said immediately, not giving Ed the chance to give Pinako some kind of sarcastic answer.

Before Ed could do anything more than glare at Lance – Ed just knew Lance stopped him from starting a fight with Granny on purpose – the phone in the living room rang. "Ed, go and answer that while I get your lunch ready," Pinako ordered, already turned back to her task and thus missed the eyeroll Ed gave her before he heaved himself out of his chair, stepped over both Den and Green – something that was far more difficult than it should've been, in Ed's opinion – before leaving the kitchen, flipping Lance off for laughing at his struggles while he went.

"Rockbell residence," Ed said the moment he answered the phone. He heard Pinako ask Lance something – probably his sandwich preferences if Ed had to guess – as he waited for the person who rang to answer him. "Hello?" Ed asked, a touch of irritation in his tone now.

" _My apologies, Sir,"_ the vaguely familiar voice said and Ed frowned as he tried to place it. _"This was the number I was given to reach Captain Riza Hawkeye,"_ they went on to explain and Ed loosed an understanding noise.

"This is the Fullmetal Alchemist. I can take the message for her," Ed told them, loathing the fact that he had to resort to using his title.

" _My apologies, Fullmetal, Sir! I didn't realise you were sharing accommodations with Captain Hawkeye,"_ they told him and realisation struck Ed.

"That's alright, Corporal McBride," Ed told the man. "What's the message?" he asked, even though he was certain he knew what the response would be.

" _The military truck General Mustang requested has arrived at Resembool,"_ McBride told him and Ed felt a flare of victory run through him. _"Would you like me to have the solider drive it to the Rockbell residence for you, Sir?"_ McBride asked.

"No!" Ed almost yelped and judging from the sharp inhale on the other end of the phone line, he startled McBride. Ed cleared his throat and forced himself to calm down. "No, thank you, Corporal. I believe Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc have some errands to run while they're in town so they'll pick it up from the station as soon as they can," Ed told him, voice as professional as he could make it. He hadn't expected them to offer to drive the bloody truck up when it was only a half an hour's walk into Resembool at the longest. Ed had to bite back a groan when he realised that _of_ _course_ they would've offered to do so. Mustang was a highly regarded general (to some people, Ed supposed) so the lower-ranked soldiers would've done just about anything to make a good impression on Mustang.

" _That's fine, Sir,"_ McBride said, not sounding awfully surprised by Ed's calmer response. _"The Eastern City soldier will be on this afternoon's train back to East City but he requires some paperwork to be signed by General Mustang to authorise the vehicle's release into his hands. Do you believe it would be possible for General Mustang to arrive here before 1:30pm?"_ McBride asked.

Ed flicked open his pocket watch and eyed the time. Al and his group should only be another fifteen minutes away. It'd be tight but if Ed made Mustang leave immediately, he'd make it. "Yeah, that won't be an issue, Corporal. It'll be tight but Mustang'll be there by 1:30pm at the latest," Ed told him confidently.

" _Thank you, Sir,"_ McBride said with an almost completely hidden air of relief.

"No worries, Corporal. Is that everything you want me to tell Mustang and Captain Hawkeye?" Ed asked and received an affirmative hum. "Then I'm gonna hang up now. Have a good afternoon, McBride."

" _You as well, Sir,"_ McBride said before Ed placed the phone back in its cradle.

"I'm assuming that was the call back Captain Hawkeye was expecting?" Pinako asked as Ed made his way back to the kitchen.

"Yup," Ed told her as he headed for his seat where a plateful of sandwiches waited for him. This time, he elected to walk around Green – despite it lengthening the time it took him to get to his food – before he sat on his chair, giving both Den and Green a pat as he passed them. Neither paid him much mind considering they were too busy eating their own lunch. "Mustang's gonna have to head to Resembool the moment he gets back so he can sign out the truck some poor Eastern Command bastard drove all the way up here for us," Ed reported.

"I'm sure Mustang will be thrilled," Pinako said wryly as she finished up the last sandwich she was making so she could join them at the table. "Now, I've been patient enough," Ed snorted into his sandwich but Pinako didn't seem perturbed by the interruption, "and I'd appreciate some answers about why you're injured this time and what Den had to do with it," she said firmly, effectively telling them with just her tone that not answering her was not an option.

"Okay, fine," Ed said with a sigh, still munching on his sandwich. "So, Mustang and I had made our way to the clearing I had in mind for our lesson after we left Pidge, Hunk and their Lions to practise with their elemental powers and we were barely ten minutes into the lesson when…"

* * *

"Mustang, fuck off to Resembool."

"Excuse me?" Mustang asked as he glared at his youngest subordinate, who was seated on the couch that Mustang himself had occupied alongside Hawkeye and Havoc the previous night, with Lance on his left and Den on his right.

"Brother, why are you like this?" Al sighed resignedly as he moved past Mustang to enter the house. Ed just grinned at him in answer. Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Hunk and Havoc didn't say a word as they followed Al, Blue, Red and Black past Mustang and took up spots on the floor, at the kitchen table or on the spare armchair but Mustang could sense their amusement with the scene in front of them.

"Why exactly do you want General Mustang to go to Resembool so quickly, Edward?" Hawkeye asked calmly and if Mustang didn't value his kneecaps as much as he did, he would've asked why Ed wasn't being reprimanded by Hawkeye the way Mustang knew he would've been if _he_ had been the one to address Ed like that.

"McBride called. The truck arrived but Mustang has to sign for it and the soldier who drove it is leaving on the 2:00pm train this afternoon," Ed told her, tone respectful enough to make Mustang want to shout in irritation and – judging by the way the blonde's golden eyes twinkled – Ed knew it. His news got everyone's interests though and Mustang knew they were wondering whether or not they would be leaving today after all.

"Very well," Hawkeye said impassively. "General Mustang, I believe we should leave now so we don't risk the soldier missing his train." Ed just loved the way Hawkeye always made her suggestions sound exactly like orders.

"Fine," Mustang said, trying not to sound as petulant as he felt but knew from the way most of Voltron and Ed grinned, he'd failed. "Ms. Rockbell, do you believe you will be able to house us all for one more night or would it be better for yourself if I booked a hotel room for Captain Hawkeye, Lieutenant Havoc and myself to stay in?" Mustang asked Pinako, who gave a small sigh through her nose.

"No, I have the room," Pinako grumbled. "You and Havoc or the boys will need to sleep in the living room. It'd be better if the Lions were upstairs or in the patient's room so they are out of sight should I have a patient drop by. It was enough of a risk having some of them in here last night and I'm not willing to risk it again," Pinako informed them.

"That will be fine," Mustang told her. "Captain Hawkeye and I will be back from Resembool within an hour," Mustang announced.

"'Kay, bye," Ed said, combining it with a little wave and Mustang barely managed to bite back a small growl at Ed's shit-eating grin. "Do you want Al to go with you?" Ed asked Hawkeye, ignoring Mustang's remarkable display of self-control, if the general did say so himself.

"Thank you, Edward, but I'm sure we can find the outpost station ourselves," Hawkeye said with a small, warm smile and Mustang started considering whether he'd done something to warrant the attitude from Edward and Hawkeye's blasé attitude towards Ed's behaviour.

"Okay. See you two soon," Ed said with a genuine grin at the both of them that Mustang was loathe to admit went a long way to having him forgive Ed for his attitude.

"See you soon," Hawkeye echoed before she headed for the still-open front door, pausing only momentarily so she could make sure Mustang was following her. Because Mustang didn't have a desire to see if Hawkeye would try and shoot him outside the office, he was on her heels, walking right past her when she paused. He pretended not to see the satisfied nod Hawkeye gave before she gave the others inside the house a small wave then followed him down the porch steps.

* * *

"Are you almost done?" Ed asked Havoc. He refused to admit he was whining but he felt like it would be justified even if he was since he and Havoc had been sitting in Pinako's surgical room for over half an hour while Havoc worked to remove the numerous splinters in his left arm.

"Only about two minutes closer to being done since the last time you asked, Chief," Havoc told him, raising an amused brow at Ed's groan. "Maybe next time you'll move quicker and avoid the tree hitting you," Havoc said.

"Yeah, next time I'll ask Lotor to give us a heads up before he tries to kill us," Ed said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"That'll work," Havoc said cheerfully. "I feel like he could be a very reasonable guy. Definitely someone who would honour that kind of request."

"You're an idiot, Havoc," Ed laughed and Havoc grinned widely, even as he gripped Ed's left wrist to stop him from moving too much while he continued his work.

"I've been called worse," Havoc told him, his grin not lessening any even when Ed made an unsurprised noise. Ed's arm twitched when Havoc's tweezers grabbed a little bit more than the splinter he was aiming for. "Sorry," Havoc immediately apologised but didn't pause in his job.

"Don't worry about it," Ed told him. "I've had worse," he reminded him wryly, grinning at Havoc's unamused expression.

A knock came from the closed door and Ed gave Havoc a nod before calling for whoever it was to enter. Ed grinned when Lance and Blue came into the room and he was a little surprised to see how warmly Havoc greeted them. Though, Ed mused, Havoc did just spend several hours in Blue's company while they tried to hunt Lotor's trail down so that might've had something to do with how close Havoc seemed to Blue at least.

"What's up?" Ed asked, eyes flicking between the two newcomers curiously.

"Just wanted to see how you were going and whether you wanted to use some of our medicine?" Lance asked, eyeing Ed's left arm in a way that Ed knew he was dying to check over himself.

"Well, Havoc's not done torturing me – er, I mean _cleaning_ _the wound out_ ," Ed said. "Oi!" Ed muttered when Havoc tugged a little painfully on a splinter.

"Whoops," Havoc said, his level of insincerity completely palpable. He went back to cleaning out the wound, smirking at Ed's muttered comments. "To answer the first part of your question, Lance, we should be done in another 10 minutes. As to your second part, I'd like to know more about the first aid equipment you have," Havoc said, eyes flicking to Lance for a moment before he went back to his work.

"Oh, well, I have some, uh," Lance paused for a few moments as he dug through his medical bag, "anti-bruise spray, healing goop, the super-glue stuff, some bandages, the stitches like what I put in your arm just before you left, Ed, the shielding goop I also used to protect that fracture, painkillers safe for humans and some saline-like solution," Lance told them. "Oh, and the numbing goop," he added when he spotted it.

"I literally have no words. Are those the actual names for them?" Havoc asked once he managed to stop gaping at Lance.

"In Doctor Lance's clinic they are." Both Ed and Lance grinned at each other when they realised they'd just echoed one another, repeating what Lance had told Ed when he'd asked the same question while Lance was patching up the injury Yellow had accidentally inflicted when she'd first transformed back on the Castle-Ship.

"Right," Havoc said, a touch slowly as he looked at the two of them before shaking his head at them both. "That numbing goop, healing goop and super-glue stuff could be used. What's the differences between your bandages and ours?" Havoc asked.

"Well, ours don't require any sort of tape or clip to hold the end in place and they won't unravel unless someone purposefully undoes the bandage," Lance told him. "When they're in place, they don't snag on anything but the material is breathable so the body part that's covered by it won't get too hot and the material will only get dirty if the wearer decides to, say, roll around in a mud puddle or walk through a dust storm. Being out and about on a normal day won't dirty the bandage," Lance explained.

"I did notice that the bandage you placed over the stitches didn't get dirty," Ed said observationally. "At least until I got into that fight with that dickhead who thought mugging people who were out late at night at gunpoint was a good idea," he added with a small shrug of his right shoulder.

" _Was that when you were almost shot or you almost rebroke your arm?"_ Blue asked and Ed hummed thoughtfully.

"Nah, he almost shot me. The one who almost rebroke my arm was an alchemist who believed alchemists who join the military have betrayed other alchemists. I was just lucky enough to be the first State Alchemist he came across," Ed told him. "I was also the last one he came across before he got arrested," Ed said conversationally.

"Technically not true since the bossman was the one to officially arrest him," Havoc chimed in.

"Why did Mustang have to be the one to officially arrest him? I thought you were allowed to do that unless the person was of higher rank than you," Lance asked before Ed could do anything more than snarl at Havoc.

" _Be nice, Cub. He's the one who's got tweezers and is using them on you,"_ Blue reminded him and Ed had to give her that. So far Havoc had only been retaliating lightly but Ed wasn't naïve enough to think he couldn't do more damage with those tweezers than he'd been letting on.

"Because apparently if you read them their rights intermingled with cusswords, it doesn't count which I for one think is absolutely bullshit," Ed muttered crankily.

"Dude, come on, surely you knew that," Lance said once he managed to control his laughter. Ed felt like his glare had something to do with that but Blue's amusement told him otherwise. "You've been in the military for like five years. I don't believe that that was the first time you swore at someone while reading them their rights."

"Oh, it wasn't," Havoc said before Ed could say anything. "That's a regular thing with the Chief. The bossman hates it but he also thinks it's hilarious," Havoc told them with a chuckle.

"Really?" Ed asked, eyes twinkling with mischief that caused Havoc to immediately regret letting slip what he had.

"I won't ask you not to do whatever it is you're planning since it would be pretty pointless and will likely result in something hilarious but could you please make sure the general doesn't find out what I said was the trigger to your plans?" Havoc asked, not ashamed that he was pleasing. "I would rather live until I die of old age than because Mustang snaps at me over this."

"Don't worry, Havoc. I got your back," Ed promised him and Havoc relaxed immediately.

"Cheers, Chief," Havoc said gratefully as he pulled another splinter out. "And with that, I think we're done here," Havoc announced, straightening from his slight slouch while Ed perked up.

"Really?" Ed asked and Havoc gave a nod.

"I think I've got them all out," he said with a shaky air of confidence. "I'll just double-check, if you think you can sit still for another two minutes, Chief," Havoc said with a smirk that had Ed rolling his eyes.

"I think I can manage that," Ed told him sarcastically. He did not appreciate the disbelieving looks on everyone's faces at his words.

True to his words, Ed held himself perfectly still for the two minutes it took for Havoc to go back over his arm with the magnifying glass Pinako had shown him before he and Ed had taken over her surgery room. The fact that Ed may have been holding himself still so well was because of spite was something only the blonde being doctored needed to know. Evidently Havoc had missed a couple because he soon pulled them out before declaring that he was now definitely done and waved Lance over.

"Do your thing, Lance," Havoc said invitingly as he stood up from the stool he'd been occupying.

"Thanks, Havoc," Ed said before realising the smoker wasn't leaving. A raised eyebrow in the man's direction had him getting the answers he wanted.

"I want to see this stuff in action," Havoc told him and Ed just shook his head before he nodded to Lance, who had hesitated when Havoc hadn't left the room.

"Alright, well, I don't think the anti-bruise spray is necessary but I'm gonna use the numbing goop, healing goop and the super-glue stuff on some of them. Then I think the bigger three scratches should be bandaged, just until the goop's had time to do its thing," Lance told him decisively.

"Sounds good to me," Ed said, holding his arm out. "Have at it."

Lance took the invitation readily and moved to replace Havoc, armed with the numbing goop already. Havoc watched the Blue Paladin for a few moments before Ed saw an expression cross his face that told the blonde that the lieutenant had just remembered something he'd wanted to ask. "Hey, so you guys didn't report that you'd recovered for well over three hours after the stun grenade had exploded," Havoc said and both Lance and Ed hummed in agreement, though there was some confusion mixed in there. "However, I remember that Pidge said the effects should've only lasted an hour at the most. I can understand why Den and the two Lions had suffered a little longer since their hearing and sight is far better than ours so the explosion and light would've affected them worse but how come you were down for so long, Chief?" he asked.

Ed's mouth gaped slightly as he thought about Havoc's question before he came to the conclusion a few seconds later that he didn't actually know. "I'm not sure," Ed admitted, looking at Lance, who shrugged in response and went back to applying the numbing goop. "I _did_ try and get up after about an hour had passed but my sense of balance was still shot so I went back down. It was the same for the Lions and Den," he told Havoc. "Lance suggested that we lay down, thinking that might help so we did. None of us tried to get back up until just before I told Black we were alright," Ed said, subconsciously relaxing as the numbing goop went into effect and his left arm no longer felt like it had been scratched open by a tree then poked and prodded by Havoc for over thirty minutes.

Havoc frowned but Ed noticed a glint in his eyes that told him Havoc had a hunch. "What did you do to pass the time?" Havoc asked.

Lance didn't answer as he grabbed the healing goop and started applying it to the scratches and gashes in Ed's arm so Ed did. "We talked," Ed told Havoc. "Lance told me about some of their earlier missions and filled me in on some stuff that had happened on the Castle-Ship that I hadn't already been told about and I told him about some of the stuff that's been happening over here and some of mine and Al's earlier missions," Ed told him as Lance wiped his fingers clean and picked up the space super-glue.

"We also spoke at length about Widdon, Combes, and Smythe," Lance added as he started applying the space super-glue, having needed to wait a few seconds for the healing goop to absorb into Ed's skin and wounds.

Havoc looked like his theory had been proven right. "I think I know the answer to my question," Havoc said with an amused smirk. At Ed's raised brow, he elaborated. "You didn't notice you were over the effects of the grenade until Green and Yellow tested themselves once more. You probably got your sense of balance back earlier, Chief, but because you were caught up talking to Lance and probably keeping an eye on your surroundings in case Lotor doubled back that you never noticed," Havoc told him, his amusement now evident in his tone.

"Huh," Ed said as Lance now wiped the super-glue goop off his fingers and dug around for some bandages. "Honestly, you're probably right," Ed admitted with a shrug. It wasn't like he didn't have a tendency to block out everything, including his own injuries, in favour of focusing on an interesting conversational partner and making sure there weren't any nearby threats. Alphonse probably had way too many examples of Ed doing just that over the years.

Havoc shook his head fondly as Lance chuckled slightly. "Only you, Chief," Havoc said, laughing when all Ed could do in response was flap his automail hand at him.

* * *

"I see you managed to avoid injuring yourself further while Captain Hawkeye and I were gone," Mustang drawled as Ed, Lance, Blue and Havoc emerged from Pinako's surgery room. Havoc diverted to the kitchen so he could dispose of the rubbish and numerous splinters he'd pulled out of Ed's arm while the three others headed for the loungeroom.

"I see you managed to find your way to the Resembool military outpost. Tell me, how much effort did Miss Riza have to put into making sure you didn't get lost?" Ed snarked back, making Lance, Hunk and Pidge bite back some laughter while Alphonse gave into the urge to facepalm. Only the Lions didn't hold back their laughter and Ed grinned at their giggles echoing in his head.

"Brat," Mustang muttered, growling slightly when Ed followed up with his usual 'bastard' in response.

"So, I take it we're not leaving until the morning?" Ed asked, smiling at Pidge when she budged up on the couch to make room for him to sit but the blonde alchemist made no move to take it.

"That's right. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning," Mustang told him with a nod.

"Alrighty," Ed said, looking over at Alphonse and raised a brow at him. Al gave a nod before he stood up and joined Ed where he stood. "We'll be back in a couple of hours," Ed told them all. Mustang, Hawkeye and Pinako all gave nods, not needing to know where the boys were planning on going since they'd been expecting them to disappear once they'd been giving a definite departure time. Because the Lions were connected to Ed, they didn't need to ask but Ed could see the curious looks on some of the Paladins' faces and gave a small sigh. "Let them know where we're going," Ed said, using his bond with them to give the Lions the instruction.

"See you in a couple of hours," Al said while Ed spoke with the Lions. He grabbed his older brother by the right arm and proceeded to tow him towards the front door when Ed didn't move immediately by himself.

"Make sure you keep your eyes open, boys," Hawkeye said, eyes flickering with concern but knowing that any suggestion of them taking someone as a guard would be shot down immediately. They didn't like having anyone with them – not even the Rockbell women – when they visited their parents and as much as Hawkeye wanted to send someone, she respected them and their ability to look after themselves enough to hold her tongue.

"We will," Ed promised her, giving her a small smile before his attention was grabbed by a bark in front of him. Den sat at the top of the porch stairs, tail wagging slightly at the idea of going for a walk with his two favourite humans and Ed gave a small sigh. "We're taking Den with us apparently," he told them, locking eyes with Pinako, who gave a nod.

"Are they going where I think they are?" Lance asked Blue as he watched his friend and his brother leave with the energetic border collie. Lance envied that dog. He'd been on the receiving end of a stun grenade once before and it took him far longer to shake off the experience completely and there Den was; bouncing around like a pup while he followed Ed and Al down the stairs like nothing had happened to him earlier that morning.

" _So long as you're thinking that they're going to pay their parents a visit than yes, they are,"_ Blue told him, her voice a little morose as she watched the boys and Den leave. She wasn't exactly on board with letting Ed leave their sight – not so soon after he'd been attacked by someone still on the loose – and she knew her sisters agreed with her. Unfortunately, she and her sisters also knew that this was likely the one time Ed would turn down their company if they'd offered to go with him.

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Lance said with a small sigh before he sat next to Pidge, ruffling the young girl's hair before retracting his hand lest she try to remove it from his body in retaliation. He noted the concerned looks on the Lions' faces and couldn't stop his smile from forming completely. "He'll be fine. You guys will be able to sense any trouble near him within moments and the cemetery isn't that far away, if my memory isn't failing me," Lance assured Blue, who gave a small sigh and nod.

" _I know but Lotor is still out there and I swear, Ed is worse than you and Keith when it comes to staying out of trouble,"_ Blue grumbled slightly as she laid down in front of her human.

"I would take offence to that if you weren't completely right," Lance muttered, causing Blue to huff in amusement. "You'd better not sulk the whole time Ed is gone. You know he'll just tease you for it," Lance pointed out and Blue rolled her eyes.

" _I worry about all of you idiots when you're away from my sight,"_ Blue informed him. _"I can't protect you if I can't see you."_

"True but you know Ed's a badass. He can look after himself _and_ ," Lance said, emphasizing the last word before Blue could interrupt him, "now he knows what Lotor looks like and the kinds of weapons he has on him. He won't be taken by surprise like he was this morning," Lance told her, brow raising as if daring her to act as though she hadn't been about to use that morning's attack to negate Lance's claims Ed could look after himself.

" _I suppose you have a point,"_ Blue admitted and Lance nudged her with his toe.

"You don't have to sound so sulky about it," Lance chided good-naturedly. Blue rolled her eyes at him once more and Lance shook his head before he fell quiet. No one else seemed to be speaking so Lance let his eyes rove around the room and they fell on the bags Al, Hawkeye and Havoc had all but thrown aside when Lance blurted out the news that Ed, Green and Yellow had been hurt that morning. He nudged Blue again and she looked up at him with an expression that told him he'd better have a good reason for doing so. "Think we can figure out what clothing items were bought for who?" Lance asked, nodding towards the bags. Since he hadn't spoken solely to Blue, he caught everyone else's attention.

" _I doubt it'll be too hard,"_ Blue said while the others exchanged looks. _"I'd like to know what Alphonse deemed acceptable for you all to wear while you're here,"_ she admitted.

"No time like the present to find out," Lance said, getting to his feet and walking over to the bags, ruffling Blue's ears as he went. The other Paladins looked varying degrees of excited to see what the bags held and none of the adults put up an argument about Lance waiting for the brothers to return so Lance took it as permission to do what he was about to. "Let's see what they bought us."

* * *

Ed and Al walked back through the front door of Pinako's home just as the sun started to sink behind the trees that lined the horizon. Upon entering the house, they were greeted by the sight of the Paladins wearing at least one new item of clothing that was more suited to the fashion seen around Amestris than their usual clothing was. "Couldn't wait to go through those bags, could you?" Ed asked as he and Al took in the sight.

"Well, we got bored and wanted to know what Al got for us," Lance said with a slight shrug. His blue jeans had been swapped for long, black slacks similar to Al's. His white shirt with long blue sleeves hadn't been replaced but Al had bought him a light-weight navy blue jacket in a similar style to Ed's black one, though Lance's didn't have a clasp at the neck nor did it have a trim in a different colour.

Ed nodded as he took everyone else's outfit changes in. Shiro hadn't really changed his outfit much. The only differences Ed could see was that Al had bought him a light-weight black jacket to wear to cover his prosthetic arm and Ed could spot a spare pair of gloves peeking out of one of his pockets. Keith had been given a long-sleeved deep red shirt that he wore open at the collar. Ed spotted a jacket in a black jacket with a dark red trim hanging over the arm of the couch Keith sat against. Hunk, like Lance, had been allowed to keep his long-sleeved yellow shirt but Al had bought him an olive-green jacket in much the same style as the others to replace the vest he usually wore. The orange headband was still in place but the brown three-quarter pants had been replaced by long pants in a similar shade. Pidge's outfit had been the one that had changed the most. Al had bought her long black pants and a long-sleeved forest green blouse. Ed couldn't spot a jacket at first but he soon saw it still in the bag and noted that it was black, just like his own, Shiro's and Lance's. All five of them wore combat boots and both Shiro and Keith managed to keep their belts – which Ed knew held Keith's blade and some spare rations for Shiro – and Ed found himself nodding in approval of Al's choices, though there was something Ed wanted to ask his little brother.

"Is there a reason all of them have jackets in a similar style as mine?" Ed asked Al, tugging pointedly on his own black jacket.

"Well, it's not like there was a massive choice for jackets in the shops considering it's mid-spring but there was a reason," Al admitted, getting far more of everyone's attention than he had been before. "So I chose them for two reasons. The first; it ties them all into a group. Even though some of them are different colours, the styles are the same and anyone who sees them wearing them will know they're a group," Al explained.

"Like a uniform, just less obvious," Pidge mumbled and Al gave her a nod.

"Exactly," Al said. "The second reason is similar to the first but I figured if people saw them wearing something similar to you, Brother, they would subconsciously think they're your friends and that would lessen any problems they might have with them," Al told them.

"I think you picked up far more from the BAU than we realised, little brother," Ed said, nudging Al slightly and grinning when Al rolled his eyes. "That's some nice mental trickery," he said approvingly.

"I'm a little surprised you were able to find everything ready made for them, if I'm being honest," Mustang said. Ed found himself agreeing with Mustang but it wasn't like he was going to ever say that out loud so he kept it to himself.

"Actually, I got pretty lucky with what they were already wearing," Al told them as he and Ed finally moved into the house with Den. Ed sat in between Lance and Shiro, leaning up against Black primarily while Al sat against Pinako's armchair. "I only had to get Shiro the jacket, his spare pair of gloves and shoes. Pidge was the only one who needed a complete outfit bought for her. Everyone else only needed one or two things bought, aside from their shoes," Al informed them.

"Were you able to get them everything else they needed or do we need to go shopping when we're in Central?" Ed asked, not looking forward to doing so if they needed to. He didn't mind shopping but he knew that the Lions would likely make everything far more difficult than necessary and he was not looking forward to that.

"No, I was able to get them everything," Al told him. "I may have almost bought Resembool out of most items but I did get them everything," he said, tone light with laughter.

"Awesome," Ed said with a grin. "So did anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Ed asked, looking mainly at the Amestrians.

"Fuhrer Grumman called to let us know we still had the go-ahead to head back for Central tomorrow morning," Hawkeye told them. "From the reports he's received, civilians are curious and nervous about the Lions and their Paladins but there's been no rumours about anyone planning anything against them so far," she reported.

"What about the soldiers?" Ed asked.

"They're wary but again, Fuhrer Grumman hasn't received anything too worrisome regarding their behaviour towards the news," Hawkeye told him. "Fuhrer Grumman is of the opinion that we won't face any resistance or outright hostility to their presence when we arrive."

"Well that's good," Ed said with a small sigh of relief. He didn't think it would've done the Lions or Paladins any favours if the first thing that happened when they arrived in Central was a fight because some idiot tried to attack them.

" _We would be fine if that did happen and it's likely we would show people why attacking us wouldn't be a good idea,"_ Black told Ed. _"Besides, I think you would be pretty good at getting us out of trouble just by arguing against those who blamed us if we were attacked and defended ourselves,"_ she added with a confident note that had Ed chuckling.

"Of course I would though I don't know how much arguing I would be doing. I'd just as likely be joining you in fighting," he told her, making her huff in amusement.

" _We shouldn't be surprised, huh?"_ Yellow said and Ed winked at her while smirking, making her chuckle, gaining Hunk's attention. The bigger teenager didn't say anything, least he didn't say anything to Ed, but judging by the fond shake of his head, Hunk at least had an idea of their exchange.

"So the lot of you will definitely be leaving tomorrow morning?" Pinako asked and Mustang nodded.

"As soon as we're able, yes," he assured her.

"Good. It'll be nice to have my patient room back for its proper use," Pinako grumbled as she got to her feet. "I'm going to make a start on dinner. Ed, Al, I don't care who does it but one of you needs to feed Den," she ordered as she made her way to the kitchen, not bothering to look back at them.

Ed rolled his eyes but got to his feet before Al could. He figured it was only fair he fed the collie considering Al had not only done all the shopping for the Paladins that morning but he'd also spent hours trying to track Lotor. "Come on, Den. Dinner time," he told the dog, getting an enthusiastic yip in response as Den hauled himself to his feet from where he'd lain almost directly in between Ed and Green. Ed would've made some sort of comment about how much enthusiasm Den was showing about feed time if he knew at least three Lions and four people wouldn't have immediately made some kind of smartass comment back and Ed really didn't want to risk Den's wrath if he withheld food from the dog in order to snap back at each of them.

* * *

Morning rolled around and Ed found himself waking up to the sight of his brother asleep on the couch and Den curled up on the mattress next to him. After a small discussion that had both Ed and Al winning the argument the previous night after dinner, both boys had claimed Pidge, Lance, Blue and Green's sleeping spots while the four of them joined Hunk and Yellow in sleeping in Ed and Al's usual rooms. As Ed and Al had argued, risking one night where the Lions and Paladins slept in the main area and counting on Pinako receiving no patients at some crazy hour was more than enough. To Ed's surprise, Mustang had agreed with them and his agreeance had all but settled the argument, much to Ed's slight annoyance.

"Morning, Den," Ed said, feeling his jaw crack as he yawned and the dog gave a small whine in response. "I feel that," he assured the collie, reaching out his flesh hand to scratch one of Den's ears in solidarity. He didn't appreciate the lick Den gave his hand but he was too groggy with sleep to do much more than groan in disgust and wipe his hand on the doona that was still covered him.

"Morning, Brother," Al groaned from the couch, causing Ed's gaze to move over to him and he watched as Al stretched himself as he woke up, reminding Ed vividly of a cat.

"Morning, Al," Ed said, returning the greeting before he flicked the doona off himself and readied himself to get on his feet. Once up, he mimicked Al's earlier move and stretched, arching his back until he'd heard and felt several satisfying pops. "Come on, Den. You can go outside for a bit," Ed said, brushing a hand over Den's head before he led the dog to the door and opened it. Den went outside without complaint – undoubtedly needing to relieve himself after being locked in the house all night – and Ed left him to it. "You set for today?" Ed asked and Al nodded. It wasn't like the two of them truly needed to do anything before they left the Rockbell residence later. The suitcase they'd packed for their trip to Ishval hadn't been opened at all once they'd arrived in Resembool since they had spare clothing in their room.

"Yup. You?" Al asked and Ed knew he was asking about more than just whether he was packed. He guessed his worries about how the Lions and Paladins would be received by the public and military were still evident, despite his best efforts to convince himself that everything would be fine.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," Ed told him with a small shrug. "You wanna get coffees ready or do you wanna get first dibs on the shower?" Ed asked.

"Shower," Al answered immediately. "Unlike some people, I had to walk for three hours through woods and creeks yesterday and I didn't get the chance to shower last night," Al said snarkily and Ed flipped him off.

"Yeah, because I totally would've chosen being hit with a stun grenade over hiking for three hours," Ed drawled as he picked the mattress up off the floor and leaned it against the wall, where it would sit until he or Al moved it later for Pinako.

"With how much you bitch about tracking someone down when you – and I quote – could be doing more useful things with your time – end quote – I wouldn't be surprised if you truly thought that," Al told him.

"I almost hope you find yourself on the wrong end of one of them stun grenades just so I can ask you whether you think it's worth suffering the effects over tracking someone for hours," Ed groused at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Al sassed, flapping a hand at his brother. "Go and get some coffee started before everyone storms the kitchen," Al ordered, moving to go past Ed so he could get to the stairs and bathroom.

Ed allowed him to think he'd make it without some sort of physical retribution for his sass. The yelp Al gave when Ed smacked him (with his left hand because he was nice like that) upside the head was rather satisfying to hear. "Don't sass me," Ed told him, pointing a warning finger at his little brother. Al's grumbles up the stairs as he rubbed the back of his head had Ed grinning all the way into the kitchen.

* * *

Ed's peace and quiet only lasted long enough for him to drink one cup of coffee at a speed somewhere between sculling the hot liquid and drinking it at a normal rate. Just as he started making his second cup, he heard numerous footsteps above him and he found himself mentally visualising the movement from the sounds he could hear as he put a second pot of coffee on to boil. He was completely unsurprised to see Lance leading the charge down the stairs as the Cuban followed his nose to the kitchen. What he _was_ surprised by was that Pinako was the one coming in at a close second, rather than Blue or Al, like Ed had assumed.

"You are a blessing," Lance mumbled around the cup already filled with coffee and sugar Ed had given him upon coming within arm's reach of the blonde.

"I know," Ed assured him with a laugh. "There's still some in the first pot and the second one should be ready any minute now," Ed told the others, some of whom – namely Pidge – looked put out that Ed hadn't personally given them their coffee.

"Once you've all gotten your coffee, get out of my kitchen so I can whip up some breakfast," Pinako ordered gruffly. "Did you let Den out?" Pinako asked Ed.

"Do you see him in here?" Ed asked snarkily. "Of course I let him out," he huffed before she could reply.

"Good to see you're capable of taking some initiative rather than waiting for me to ask you twenty times to do something," Pinako said, voice falsely pleasant. "Now, get out of my kitchen so the others can get their coffee," Pinako ordered once more, pointing a spatula she'd just pulled from the drawer at him threateningly.

"I'm going, you cranky old bat," Ed muttered, ignoring the poorly hidden amusement and laughter from those gathered in the kitchen as he refilled his half-empty cup before he headed into the loungeroom.

Just as he entered the loungeroom, Ed spotted Havoc and Mustang emerging from their makeshift bedroom, wearing their military uniform, though they did have their jackets folded over an arm rather than shrugged on. Pointing a finger into the kitchen at Havoc's barely legible query for coffee, Ed hid a grin in his own coffee mug as he watched the blonde smoker shuffle tiredly into the kitchen. He could only hope for Havoc's sake that some of the more awake Paladins took pity on him and let him cut into the impromptu line. Really, his only fights would've been with Lance – who was already working his way through a cup so would likely not mind –, Pidge and Keith so Ed thought his chances were pretty good.

"What's up?" Ed asked when he noticed his boss had followed him further into the loungeroom rather than follow his lieutenant into the kitchen in search of caffeine.

"Just wanted to check you, Yellow, Green and Den were still alright after what happened yesterday," Mustang told him honestly.

Blaming the early morning and the fact he was only on his second cup of coffee so wasn't fully functional yet, Ed didn't reply with a sarcastic remark like he ordinarily would've. The fact that – like he had been the night they'd turned up at Pinako's – Mustang was being completely genuine and Ed could see real concern for him and the others wasn't taken into consideration when making the decision to reply civilly. "I'm fine and so are the Lions," Ed told him. "I can't speak dog but the fact that Den's acting like he usually does in the mornings tells me that he's alright as well," Ed said. As though he'd been summoned, Den appeared at the front door and happily limped his way inside to cuddle up against Ed's flesh leg, tongue lolling joyfully out of his mouth as he lapped at the soft scratches Ed bestowed upon him.

"Are you sure?" Mustang pressed lightly. "That stun grenade was an unknown weapon to us up until yesterday. You definitely don't feel any sort of lingering side effects?"

Ed sighed for a moment before forcefully stopping the irritated noise before it could be completed. He knew that Mustang was honestly concerned, mostly for Ed, but the blonde also knew that part of that concern was for the other members of the team, as well as any soldier who might have the misfortune of finding themselves against a stun grenade. As the only human who had suffered that in yesterday's attack, Ed's first-hand report on the effects were all the military would have to go on in order to prepare their soldiers on what to expect.

"I'm sure, Mustang," Ed said firmly and honestly. "I'm 100% completely okay."

The relief in Mustang's eyes and the way his shoulders relaxed was very obvious to Ed and the blonde was quick to realise his boss hadn't even bothered to hide it from him. "Good," Mustang said with a nod. "Well, since you're okay, I'm gonna grab a coffee before Ms. Rockbell runs out," Mustang said, a touch awkwardly and Ed gave a nod, for once not calling the man out on his uncomfortableness in expressing emotions.

"Good idea," Ed said approvingly. "Havoc and Lance will likely have already started trying to drink her entire supply," he half-joked just as the Paladins, sans Lance, headed out of the kitchen and into the loungeroom to join him.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mustang said dryly, replying to Ed's joked comment after exchanging good mornings with the four Paladins. "I assume we're eating outside once more?" Mustang asked and Ed gave a nod.

"Not enough room in the house for everyone to be comfortable and able to grab more food if they want it," Ed told him and Mustang echoed his previous action to give a nod of his own before he headed into the kitchen without another word.

"Good morning, everyone," Hawkeye greeted from the bottom of the stairs as she joined everyone else in the lower half of the house.

"Morning, Miss Riza," Ed said, barely quick enough for his greeting to be heard before everyone else's drowned his out.

"I trust everyone slept well and nothing unexpected happened during the night?" Hawkeye asked and received confirming nods and vocalisations that made her smile slightly. "Wonderful," was all she said in response before she disappeared into the kitchen as well.

Both Lance and Al emerged, stepping aside politely for Hawkeye when the three of them nearly ran into one another in the doorway, before they took up seats on the floor since all the couches were in use. "So, what's the plan?" Lance asked as he sipped from his coffee.

"Well, we need to get to Central which will likely take a good five or six hours, maybe longer if the truck is slower than the cars," Ed told him and nodded sympathetically when the entirety of Voltron groaned in annoyance, including Shiro, even if he did cut his groan off quickly. "Once we're in Central, we'll be heading straight for Central Command so you guys can be introduced to Grumman and hopefully we'll get lucky and run into Widdon and Combes along the way," Ed said, a slightly sadistic smile forming on his face.

"You cannot purposefully sic the Lions onto the two generals, Brother. No matter how much you hate them, it would still be illegal," Al told him sternly.

"I can't control what the Lions do, Alphonse," Ed said innocently. "If they wanna tear out a chunk of Widdon and Combes, that's their prerogative," he said, "and if I'm a few moments too late with my alchemy to protect such esteemed military officers from an attack such as that, well, I guess that just means I need to up my training schedule," he said, mockingly concerned that such a thing might happen. His statement had the three youngest Paladins giggling at his tone while Shiro did his best to look reprimanding, though the amusement in his eyes negated his efforts. Keith and all five Lions looked like they were considering how to actually get away with attacking Widdon and Combes without it coming back to them or Ed and the blonde silently wished them luck.

Al gave a long-suffering sigh that was undermined by the upward curl of his lips as he shook his head at them all. "I almost feel bad for them," he said. "Almost," he smirked, allowing his amusement and own desire for vengeance against the two generals to show undiluted.

"They'd deserve whatever they get," Ed declared, getting nods from everyone. Even Shiro's nod was somewhat enthusiastic.

"Whatever you're plotting to do about the generals while the Lions are here, just make sure that any evidence against you is flimsy at best," Mustang said, surprising some of them as he appeared out of the kitchen flanked by Havoc and Hawkeye, the former looking far more awake now that he had some caffeine in his system. "I'd rather if there was absolutely no evidence pointing to any of you but I can't expect a miracle," Mustang added.

"General Mustang, perhaps encouraging them to attack Generals Widdon and Combes on base is not such a good idea," Hawkeye warned and Mustang gave her a nod.

"You're absolutely right, Captain," Mustang said before turning back to the others. "Attack them off base. Much less chance of someone stumbling upon you if you happen to be in, say, the industrial area," he said, mouth forming a smirk when Ed, Lance, Pidge, Hunk and the Lions all grinned in response to his suggestion. The fact that Hawkeye's reprimand was only a silent glare and not even one of her strongest ones told Ed that she wasn't as against the idea as she wanted them to think, leaving the blonde to wonder if the captain was as able of holding onto a grudge as he was. After all, it wasn't just his and Al's names who were slandered in the two generals last desperate attempt to stop Mustang being released from jail.

"I'm pretty sure you had something other than giving tips on Edward's and the Lions' plans for retribution you wanted to discuss before breakfast was ready," Hawkeye said pointedly and Mustang gave her another nod, this time a serious one.

"Yes, there was actually," Mustang said before looking at Voltron in particular. "I wanted to give the Lions and Paladins a more detailed description of the base, what they should expect and what is expected of them," Mustang told them and Ed saw that all of the members of Voltron straightened up somewhat to show they were listening. He admittedly was curious to know more about what was expected from Voltron as well since he'd never paid much attention to any diplomatic guest of Bradley's or Grumman's before. He almost snorted when Mustang gave a slight nod of approval at Voltron's actions but he managed to bite it back as he relaxed into the couch cushions and listened to Mustang speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those of you who commented on this story last week! I really hope you enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to see what you thought to it!


	16. Chapter 16

"We're ten minutes from Central Command, Chief," Havoc said, pushing the small curtain that blocked the view of those who travelled in the cabin of the truck from those who rode in the back of the large military truck, his eyes searching for and finding Ed's eyes.

"Cheers, Havoc," Ed said with a small nod. A look from Hawkeye – who sat in between Havoc and Mustang up the front – had Havoc turning back around and focusing on the road. Ed managed to suppress his sniggers until the curtain moved back into place but only just.

" _Child,"_ Blue chided amusedly and a quick glance at Al told Ed that his brother thought the same thing as the Blue Lion. However, unlike Blue, Ed couldn't see any hint of his brother jokingly thinking that and that definitely warranted Ed flipping Al off.

"So, what's happening again? When we get to Central Command?" Lance asked, interrupting Shiro just as the Black Paladin opened his mouth to say something – likely about Ed giving his brother the bird. The glint in Lance's eyes told Ed that it wasn't a coincidence and he appreciated the Blue Paladin even more in that moment for saving him from a lecture from Shiro at the expense of Keith snorting derisively at Lance.

"We're heading straight for Grumman's office," Ed said, seizing the opportunity Lance had given him. "You guys are gonna be surrounded by the five of us –" Ed waved his hands in the directions of himself, his brother and the three Amestrians to indicate who he was talking about, as unnecessary as the gesture was – "and we're going to escort you just so we can deter potential idiots from trying anything, not that anyone should be trying anything," Ed continued, scowling slightly. Shiro kind of wanted to ask if the scowl was because the group was potentially in danger or because Ed wouldn't be getting the chance to fight someone today but decided that was a question he didn't need answered. "Then it really depends on how long we're with Grumman for. You'll undoubtedly meet the rest of the team this afternoon and – if we can manage it – I want you guys to meet Brookes and our second team. After that, I think we're gonna head to Mustang's because his place is the biggest and he's further out of town so there's less chance of other people's places being affected if something explodes," he told them with a shrug.

"There will be nothing exploding in my home, Fullmetal," came the growled warning with an undercurrent of threat from the front of the truck and Ed grinned sharply at Mustang's words.

"Is that a challenge, Bastard?" Ed asked, grin turning into a smirk when he heard a scuffle in the front and Ed could just imagine that Hawkeye had to stop Mustang from turning around in his seat and confronting him through the small curtained window.

"Edward, please do refrain from antagonizing the general, no matter how amusing you and your friends find it," Hawkeye asked, her clipped tone effectively silencing the muffled chuckles coming from Lance, Pidge and Hunk. It did nothing to the Lions – whose laughter wasn't heard by anyone bar Ed and their pilot – and only made Ed quieten his laughter to silence but did nothing to wipe the grin off his face.

"I'll do my best, Captain, but I gotta get my entertainment where I can. Six hours in a truck is not the best entertainment after all," Ed told her.

"I understand but try your best, please. We'll only be in the truck for a few more minutes so I'm sure you can manage," Hawkeye said. Ed was positive he could hear a trickle of amusement in her voice and the small scoff he heard from Mustang told him he wasn't the only one. Ed could just _feel_ the glare Hawkeye had pinned their commanding officer with and it took all of his self-control not to laugh at the mental image in his mind.

"Of course, Miss Riza. I'll behave myself," Ed promised easily. The small exchange had been enough to keep him from getting destructively bored for the next eight minutes.

"Thank you, Edward," Hawkeye said and Ed gave a small nod, despite the fact that those in the front of the cab couldn't see him.

"So what'll happen once we're at Mustang's?" Lance asked, determined to keep Ed talking so he didn't get a demonstration of Mustang's flame alchemy up close. As cool as it would've been, he didn't think it would end well for the truck and, well, he was currently _in_ the truck and so was his Lion and the rest of his team. He didn't want see Mustang's flame alchemy that closely or badly.

Ed shrugged his left shoulder, wincing minutely when he accidentally pulled at the bandages. "That's up to Mustang. What'll likely happen is someone from the team will invite Miss Gracia and Elysia over to his for dinner so we can introduce you guys to them since the Hughes' apartment is definitely not big enough to have all of you stay in it," Ed told them. "After that, who knows?"

"What do you think the likelihood is of us running into any… difficulties today? Honestly?" Shiro asked, pausing as he mulled over his word choice and wincing internally as he realised he sounded like he was questioning Ed's earlier assertation that nothing unexpected should happen.

"Well despite the fact that I'm kinda hoping we'll run into Widdon and Combes on our way to or – preferably – from Grumman's office, I doubt we'd be that unlucky… or lucky, depending on who you asked," Ed said with a small, slightly sadistic grin on his face that had Al wondering if it was worth reminding Ed once more that siccing anyone onto the two generals without just cause was illegal. "Other than that, Grumman didn't mention anything or anyone else posing a potential danger to you guys so I say your chances of getting involved or witnessing a fight are slim to none," he said and again, Shiro wanted to know exactly what his disappointment was caused by.

"I think both we and Fuhrer Grumman would appreciate it more if nothing happened to us on our first day in Central," Shiro said, causing Ed to sigh but nod in agreement.

"Honestly, I'm pretty sure he and I are on the same page hoping nothing happens to you lot here for at least the next two weeks," Ed admitted.

"Why's that?" Pidge asked, a small frown creasing her brows. Ed couldn't really blame her considering it was pretty well known how much he liked beating down on idiots who attacked someone for no good reason.

" _Oh!"_ Green suddenly gasped, startling both Ed and Pidge, which in turn startled a few of the others. _"It's because the memorial is only a fortnight away, right?"_ she asked and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, the first anniversary of Promised Day is two weeks away and Grumman still has a ton of details to organise and work out for the ceremony. Someone trying to cause shit with us or you or both would just add to his workload and no one – and I mean _no one_ – wants that. Grumman can be scary if someone adds unnecessarily to his workload," Ed told them, shuddering slightly at some of the horror stories they'd heard around the base – see: Samantha – but he felt better in his reaction when he saw Al reacting the same way.

"So are you just gonna leave it at that or are you gonna share some stories?" Lance asked, leaning forward slightly. "And let me make it clear, you really don't have a choice in this matter. Story time, let's go!"

Ed laughed at how the other Paladins mimicked Lance, though Shiro and Keith seemed to catch themselves doing so and stopped before it was too obvious. Even the Lions – all of whom were laying on the bed of the truck and begrudgingly acting as footrests for the humans since there was no room – were looking at Ed expectedly. "Alright, so Miss Samantha told me about something that happened the first week she started work as Grumman's secretary…"

* * *

"We're here," Hawkeye announced barely five minutes after Ed's first story. "We just need to go through security. It looks like Fuhrer Grumman has tightened it, likely in response to the memorial drawing closer," she told them. Only once Ed gave her a nod did she let the curtain fall back into place and turned back to face the front.

Ed and Mustang had given Grumman a detailed account of NCIS's security check points during their report of their second inter-dimensional trip. Though Grumman had made note of what Ed and Mustang had told them and his questions were designed to draw out more details from them had the pair thinking he was very interested in the security of the federal agency, they hadn't seen any improvements made to their security. Now though, it seemed as though Grumman had taken the NCIS's security measures they'd told him about and used what he could to buff up their own security. From what little Ed had been told of Grumman's plans for the Promised Day memorial, there would be a lot of important military generals and figures invited, as well as the Ishvalen elders, and Ed knew that any of them would be a target for assassinations or attacks. Hence the need for the vamped-up security so Ed swallowed the small amount of irritation he felt at having to wait longer in the truck. Besides, it wasn't like he'd have to suffer through going through the security checks every time he entered the base so he could deal with it just this once.

"What does your security normally look like if this is it on high alert?" Shiro asked curiously as they waited for the soldiers to finish checking the vehicle and the ID's of those in the cab.

"The same but less severe. It's usually a basic check and the driver is ID checked," Ed told him with a shrug. "There's probably more to it but I can't recall ever coming onto a base in a vehicle so I've never taken much notice," he said with a small amount of apology.

A strangled noise from Ed's left had his head whipping to that side, hands raising slightly in case of attack. What he found was a thoroughly shocked soldier peering through the canvas that closed the back of the truck off from outside view. Ed could sympathise with the soldier since seeing five massive Lions withing striking range was pretty startling but that didn't stop him from snorting in amusement at the soldier's bugged eyes and gaping mouth. Though he managed to play it off as a cough, it did garner the soldier's attention and Ed cleared his throat pointedly.

"Yes?" Ed asked, tone telling the soldier that he expected him to get his act together immediately to answer him. He took the moment it took the soldier to do so to check his uniform for a rank insignia and noted he was a corporal.

"My apologies, Sir. We'd heard about the diplomatic guests we were expecting but seeing them in real life…" the soldier trailed off, obviously unsure whether what he was planning on saying would be insensitive or not or whether Ed would berate him for it. Ed could understand his reaction and what he'd left unsaid but he was a little irked that there were still soldiers on base who didn't know or trusted that they could be blunt with Ed and that he wouldn't give two shits.

"Yeah, it's a bit unnerving. Al freaked out the first time he met them as well," Ed told him, nodding understandingly.

"Oi!" Al snapped, glaring at Ed even as his cheeks pinked slightly but the exchange had had the effect Ed intended and the soldier relaxed.

"I just need to check your identification, Sir," the soldier told Ed, who nodded.

"Knock it off with the 'sir' shit. Everyone should know by now that I hate that," Ed told him as he pulled out his State Alchemist watch and showed him the front of it.

"Thank you, S- uh, Fullmetal?" the soldier said, obviously unsure if his military title would be acceptable to use and Ed bit back a sigh. Over a year in Central and five years in the military and he was still fighting with people on what they could call him.

"That's fine. Is that all?" Ed asked, ignoring the amusement he could feel from everyone else and the soldier gave a nod.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Have a good day, Fullmetal, Sir."

Ed scowled lightly at the use of 'sir' but knew that – just like it had been with McBride in Resembool and numerous other soldiers around base – it was pointless to continue insisting they drop the 'sir' altogether. "You as well, Corporal," Ed said instead, giving the soldier a nod. Once the canvas flap was allowed to fall back into place, there were two loud slaps on the side of the truck and the group swayed slightly as Havoc drove the truck forward.

"I want everyone inside the building immediately once the truck is stopped. Lieutenant Havoc will bring up the rear," Mustang told them, voice loud enough to carry to Ed who sat the furthest from him.

"Bossy, bossy," Ed complained, making sure Mustang would be able to hear him.

"I _am_ your commanding officer, Fullmetal," Mustang drawled, unable to resist bantering with the blonde.

"We've discussed this, Mustang. Captain Hawkeye is the one truly in charge of this team," Ed snarked back.

"Edward?" Hawkeye said, cutting Mustang off before he could say anything.

"Yes, Miss Riza?" Ed asked respectfully, grinning at the entertained looks on most everyone else's faces as they listened to the exchange avidly.

"Please do as General Mustang asked and head into the building immediately," Hawkeye requested.

"Of course, Miss Riza," Ed said, complying easily.

"Infuriating brat." Ed heard Mustang mutter and grinned alongside Lance, Pidge and Hunk, though Hunk did look a little worried. Keith and Shiro were hiding their amusement with different degrees of success and Al looked torn between smacking Ed and amused with his antics.

"It is literally my life mission now to find new ways to piss you off," Ed informed him brightly and Mustang's resulting groan was drowned out by laughter from almost everyone in the back of the truck before it could finish sounding.

Anything Mustang or anyone else might've said was cut off when Havoc brought the truck to a stop. Ed didn't hesitate to push the canvas flap out of his way enough to jump out of the truck before it had come to a complete stop. Once he was out, Ed was quick to detach the elastic loops he could reach from around the plastic hooks attached to the sides and bottom of the truck that held it into place. Someone – Hunk, Ed quickly identified – started working the few remaining loops off their hooks on one side while Keith did the same on the other side. Pidge was quickly rolling the canvas up so it could be secured at the top of the truck canopy. Once that was done, the three were quick to join Ed, clearing the way for Shiro, Lance and Al to do the same. Once all humans were out the Lions joined them. Ed could see the crowd rapidly forming but he paid them no mind.

"Come on, best do as Captain Hawkeye said," Ed told them all once the last Lion was out of the truck. He received no arguments from anyone and both he and Al took the lead as they headed into the large building that had been half destroyed by Father during Promised Day. Ed did have to glare at someone who looked like they were about to approach and the fact that the man shrunk back told Ed he hadn't meant to.

As Ed, Al and Voltron moved up the stairs, they were joined quickly by Hawkeye and Mustang, the former staying on the latter's right but positioned a few feet behind so she was covering Voltron's flank. Al had taken note of what Hawkeye was doing and fell back immediately, mimicking her position but on Ed's left, leaving Ed and Mustang in the lead with Shiro, Black, Keith and Red walking behind them. Blue, Lance, Hunk and Yellow were behind the Red and Black pairs while Pidge and Green brought up the rear until Havoc caught up to them moments later after securing the truck.

Ed could feel each Lion's intrigue and curiousity as they walked and he hid a small smile at it. It was easy to forget sometimes that the Lions had only been able to transform into their flesh forms for six months so being able to walk alongside the people they cared about in new places was still something of a novelty for them. He'd walked these halls dozens of times himself so there was nothing of interest and though they'd seen these corridors through his eyes, Ed knew that everything else – the sounds, the smell, the feel of the floors – was brand new information for the Lions so he decided against making fun of them for their interest in what he considered to be routine and boring.

The few soldiers they saw as they headed for Grumman's office always responded upon spotting their group in one of a few different ways. They either saluted Mustang and Ed (if their rank was lower to Ed's) and moved respectfully out of their way, they started saluting the two highest ranked soldiers before stopping to gape at the Lions and strangers until Mustang or Ed (usually Ed) snapped at them to continue on their way or they just about hugged the walls or ducked down corridors Ed was sure they didn't need to upon spotting the group approaching. Ed could understand that it was somewhat an instinctual response upon spotting a dangerous predator such as the Lions but that didn't stop him from pinning the soldiers with dirty looks when he passed them.

"Quit doing that," Mustang muttered at him from the corner of his mouth.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to. I'm on my best – well," Ed said with a slightly thoughtful expression, "maybe not _best_ behaviour but I could be acting a lot worse and you know it," Ed told him.

"You know exactly what I'm referring to," Mustang said, raising an amused brow. "Stop staring daggers at those whose instincts tell them to get out of the path immediately," Mustang ordered. "You know why they're doing it and you know they likely aren't doing it on purpose. We don't need a fight breaking out because some embarrassed soldier tries to take you on for judging their reaction," Mustang informed him.

Ed sighed just as another soldier saluted them, eyes warily watching the Lions like she thought if she took them off the big cats that they'd attack her. "Fine," Ed grumbled as Mustang nodded the soldier out of her salute. Ed did the same after a moment of her holding it when he realised she was a lieutenant and he was technically her superior. "But this means that if we run into Widdon and Combes, you don't get to interfere until _after_ I get an insult in," Ed told him as the lieutenant continued on her path, skirting around the group as quickly as she could.

"Acceptable," Mustang said with a nod and a half-smirk. Neither one dared look back at Hawkeye to see if she'd overheard them because both of them realised that if they did so than she'd know something she likely wouldn't approve of had happened.

* * *

They weren't even halfway to the large elevator shaft that Grumman had had built into the main building of Central Command as it was being rebuilt so that large groups of military officers – up to twenty people – could use it rather than the smaller ones that were only capable of carrying a third of that at a time when they were intercepted by a familiar face. "Miss Samantha!" Ed greeted, raising his right arm in a friendly wave. The brunette woman gave him a slightly strained smile but she didn't move forward from her spot. Frowning at her slightly, Ed noticed the way her eyes flicked between the Lions and himself and realisation sunk in. "You lot wait here," Ed said, gesturing for Voltron and the Amestrians to stay. "You too, Mustang. I don't think Miss Samantha needs the added stress of having to act civil in your presence," Ed told him before walking away from the group and amusement he could feel in response to the glower he just knew Mustang was pinning him with and towards Grumman's secretary.

"Hello, Edward. I trust your trip went well?" Samantha asked once Ed was within arm's reach of her.

"Well enough," Ed told her. "Is something the matter? I know Mustang's not the greatest person to be around but he certainly isn't the worst," he said lightly, knowing full well Samantha's slight dislike of his commanding officer. Some of the strain left her smile, making it more genuine and he preened internally at managing to succeed his goal however so slightly.

"No, if I can stay pleasant around the like of our two favourite generals, I can certainly do so with General Mustang," Samantha told him, eyes shining with mirth, matching Ed's grin. Though she knew no one could overhear them she still didn't dare speak louder than she was just in case. She may not have mentioned Widdon and Combes by name but she knew they were either paranoid or full of themselves enough to complain to Grumman that she had been badmouthing them to Ed while on base. "It's just –" she cut herself off and glanced over at the Lions before flicking her eyes back to Ed. "I know both you and Fuhrer Grumman have said the Lions are harmless to those they count as friends and that they count us as friends. I knew they would be here today but despite my attempts to prepare myself for seeing five large Lions walking through Central Command, it appears my efforts were useless," Samantha told him, an apologetic tone in her voice and self-deprecating smile on her lips.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Ed said immediately. "Al froze when he first met them too, despite me telling him what to expect," Ed told her, lowering his voice and adopting the tone of one who was telling her something he should not have been.

"Well, I am certainly pleased to hear that I am not the only one who has done so," Samantha said with a far more genuine smile.

"Do you want to meet them? I promise they won't bite," Ed told her with a grin. "They're saving that behaviour for our two favourite generals," he added.

Samantha didn't quite manage stop her laughter completely in time and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop the giggles. Once she composed herself – after only a couple of moments and Ed found himself rather envious of that ability – she gave him a faux stern look. "I'm sure you're aware that guests – diplomatic or not – are not allowed to attack anyone of base, no matter their rank," she told him and Ed nodded.

"Unless they're provoked into doing so and let's be real, our two favourite generals are not the brightest bulbs in the bunch," Ed told her, grinning widely as he continued, "and with the cultural differences between ourselves and our diplomatic guests, who knows what could be considered offensive or an attack?" he said with an innocent shrug.

Samantha gave him a knowing look before she once again glanced at the patiently waiting group. Ed could see Havoc explaining something to the three youngest Paladins and he realised belatedly that it might've been about who Ed was talking to. Samantha's brown eyes once again found Ed's and she seemed to straighten slightly, as though firming her resolve about a decision she'd made. "I'd love to meet them," she told Ed.

"Excellent," Ed said with a grin. "No time like the present so come on," Ed said, gesturing for her to follow him. The brunette did as he said and stayed close by his side as they approached the group. "So this is Voltron," Ed said before working his way through their names, starting with Shiro and Black before ending with Pidge and Green. "Guys, this is Samantha Mercier, Fuhrer Grumman's secretary and one of the best people hired by the military," Ed said, wrapping up the introductions.

"You only say that because I let you interrupt His Excellency's meetings with our two favourite generals," Samantha said. A light, pleased blush spreading on her cheeks told everyone that Ed's comment had affected her more than her comment suggested.

"That is absolutely true but not the whole reason I say that," Ed told her. "It's also cuz you don't like Mustang that much, which shows your impeccable taste in people," Ed said, lowering his voice enough that it seemed like he hadn't wanted to be overheard but loud enough for everyone to know that them overhearing him was definitely on purpose.

Samantha shook her head at him even as Mustang glared daggers at a seemingly oblivious Ed. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she said, a polite, professional smile in place as she turned her attention to Voltron. She refused to acknowledge what Ed had said in an effort to avoid a fight breaking out in front of her.

"The pleasure is ours," Shiro said, giving her a kind smile that Ed was amused to see caused her blush to deepen ever so slightly.

"My apologies if this seems blunt, Samantha, but is there a reason you were on the ground floor of this building?" Hawkeye asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

Though she was not as close with her grandfather's secretary as she was with Rebecca, Hawkeye and Samantha had managed to run into each other on their lunch breaks and even gone out with Rebecca and a couple other civilian and military women for a night out. Hawkeye knew Samantha's lunch break never lasted longer than forty minutes and that she should've returned to her duties two hours previously so for the secretary to be here on the ground floor of the main building with no paperwork in hand or offices close by that Hawkeye could think of who would warrant a visit from the Fuhrer's personal secretary.

"It's no problem, Captain Hawkeye," Samantha immediately reassured her. "To answer your question, yes there is," she told them. "I've been asked by Fuhrer Grumman to escort you to the room where the practical portion of the State Alchemists exam generally takes place." She noted the raised eyebrows from the Amestrians in the group. "A few of the generals believed it to be a better meeting place than the Fuhrer's office," she told them.

"I thought we were only meeting Grumman," Ed said, brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes flicked from Samantha to Mustang then Hawkeye, as though silently asking them if they'd known about this. The small signs of confusion Ed could see through both their usually impeccable masks told him that they hadn't been informed of this change either.

"There was an impromptu meeting held between His Excellency and the generals currently within Central this morning after your phone call, Captain Hawkeye," Samantha said and Hawkeye gave a small nod, already seeing where this was going. From the look on Ed's face and the way Mustang's shoulders had slumped slightly, Hawkeye knew both of them had figured it out as well. "I don't have all the details but I believe the generals were concerned about Fuhrer Grumman's safety if the meeting was held within his office with only four soldiers as potential back up, should our guests not be as friendly as they seemed," Samantha informed them and Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure they were and that this decision had nothing to do with appearances," Ed muttered, a small scowl on his face. Both Samantha and Hawkeye gave him sympathetic looks. Ed groaned before sighing. "Fine. Let's get this ridiculousness over with," Ed declared, his resolve firm and Samantha almost laughed at how it looked like he was preparing for a fight before she remembered just who would be in attendance and realising how high the chances of a fight happening actually were.

Samantha found herself leading the way to the impromptu meeting room, with Mustang and Ed walking behind her. It took only a few moments for something other than the clicking of her low heels and the soft scuffs of everyone else's shoes to break the silence. "Samantha, I don't suppose you know which generals will be in attendance, do you?" Hawkeye asked and Samantha nodded, grinning at her predication of someone asking that question coming true.

"I'm sure it will come of no surprise to learn that Generals Widdon and Combes will be two of those attending the meeting," Samantha said and waited for the expected muttered curses from Ed to settle before she continued. "Alongside them, Generals Brathwaite, Sayer, Ward, and Coleman will be present," she informed them.

"I know Brathwaite and Sayer from that meeting Widdon and Combes called and were thoroughly humiliated during while Mustang was locked up but I don't recall meeting Ward or Coleman before," Ed said, struggling to pull up any memory of the two generals but failing.

"General Ward was stationed out at Western Command but requested a transfer back to Central when her first grandchild was born four months ago. General Jones had wanted a transfer out of Central for a few months and hadn't objected to taking over General Ward's duties in West City. I believe General Jones had only been in Central at the time of that meeting because General Ward had needed to finalise a few things back in West City so they'd temporarily swapped positions once more," Mustang explained as they walked. "General Coleman, on the other hand, was recently promoted to his position. I believe he'd been posted in South City before his promotion saw him offered a position in Central, which he obviously accepted since he's here," Mustang finished explaining.

"Huh," Ed grunted. "Well, here's hoping they don't model their careers as generals after Widdon and Combes," Ed muttered, causing several people – including Samantha, if he wasn't mistaken – to snort in laughter.

"Brother, you know you shouldn't say stuff like that when people can overhear you," Al chided.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said, completely unconcerned.

" _It's not like those two would dare try anything with you once they've seen us,"_ Red said, a hint of maliciousness in her voice.

"You're kind of hoping they try though, aren't you?" Ed asked her, keeping the conversation through their bond.

" _Damned straight I am,"_ Red confirmed with no hesitation and Ed chuckled lightly. A glance over his shoulder told him Keith had likely been privy to their conversation and from the look in his eyes, the Red Paladin was hoping the generals were stupid enough to do something they shouldn't in front of them.

"So am I," Ed admitted, turning back to face forward so he could watch where he was going. He noted the side-look Mustang gave him but didn't acknowledge it. He knew there was likely a small spark of hope in Mustang that the Lions would solve their issues with Widdon and Combes before he needed to open an investigation into the two generals.

* * *

It took them only a few minutes to reach a set of doors Ed had only ever walked through once before in his life. Aside from the military insignia carved into the wooden doors, there was nothing special about them. Samantha looked behind her, eyes flicking from one person to another before she gave a small nod, satisfied that everyone was still with them. Her eyes fell on Ed before moving to Mustang, who gave her a nod and with that, Samantha pushed the doors open and walked inside.

"Fuhrer Grumman, Generals," she greeted as she moved to the centre of the room before coming to a stop, standing with her hands clasped behind her back. Everyone came to a stop behind her. "Please allow me to introduce Brigadier-General Mustang, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Captain Hawkeye, 1st Lieutenant Havoc, Alphonse Elric and our guests, Voltron," Samantha said, voice clear, professional and polite.

"Thank you, Samantha," Grumman said as he took a step forward, putting himself closer to the group though not bringing him down the steps of the dais he and the six generals with him were gathered on. Ed couldn't help but remember when Bradley stood up there to watch his practical exam but the difference between Bradley and Grumman in this instance was that Grumman wasn't standing on the dais by himself whereas Bradley had had his guards wait on the steps. "I apologise for the surprise change in our meeting place and that I couldn't warn you before your arrival," Grumman said. Samantha had moved quietly to the side of the dais on Grumman's right, choosing to stand as far away from Widdon and Combes as she could without being obvious about it and to stand level with Ed and the group.

"It's all good, Fuhrer Grumman. Miss Samantha found us quickly enough," Ed said before anyone else could speak. He could feel Al's eyes trying to bore holes into his head and his lips twitched upwards slightly when he noticed Mustang having to hold himself back from saying something about Ed's less-than-professional manner.

"I'm glad to hear that, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said. The amusement in Grumman's eyes told Ed that he hadn't minded Ed's response. "We are still waiting for one more person to join this meeting before we can start it but he should be here any minute now," Grumman announced.

"Who?" Ed asked, frowning in confusion once more – something he didn't appreciate. As far as he knew, no one other than the generals and Grumman were supposed to be here since Samantha hadn't mentioned anyone else when she'd broken the news about the generals.

Grumman gave Ed a small smile that asked for patience and Ed backed down with a barely-there nod. "While we wait, I'd like to introduce those standing behind me," Grumman said, gesturing to the generals who stood behind him, three on each side. "On my right are Generals Brathwaite, Sayer and Ward," Grumman said and Ed nodded to the two familiar generals before taking in the unknown woman. She appeared to be of average height and build but rather than the raven-turning-grey hair Sayer had, Ward's hair was a fiery red and if Ed had to guess her age, he'd put her closer to General Armstrong than General Sayer. He gave her a nod when he met her blue eyes before he turned his attention back to Grumman.

"And on my right are Generals Coleman, Widdon and Combes," Grumman said, his eyes on Ed as he silently asked the blonde to keep his disdain for Widdon and Combes as hidden as he could.

Because of that – and only because of it – Ed kept the sneer off his face when he glanced at the two generals. He didn't bother to hide the contempt he was sure was in his eyes as completely as he could've but he figured Grumman likely hadn't expected him to. Before the two generals could do more than lift their lips in displeasure and suspicion of the group in front of them, especially Ed and Mustang, Ed turned his attention to the last previously unknown person left in the room. The first thing Ed noticed about Coleman was his height. He had a good half foot on Grumman and the others at the very least, making him rather intimidating but Ed was happy and more than a little surprised to note nothing more than curiousity and genuine pleasure upon seeing them. Ed had no doubts the man held no more trust in them than Ed did for him right now but that only helped Ed relax a little more about the two strangers. At least neither of them seemed to be as openly despicable as Widdon and Combes.

"Brigadier-General Ward, Major-General Coleman, a pleasure to meet the both of you. I apologise that we have not managed to do so before now," Mustang said, the politeness the military expected of him startling Ed a little. It had been a while since he'd heard that tone from Mustang. "I won't introduce the whole group since we're still waiting on the last arrival but allow me to introduce part of my team," Mustang requested politely.

Receiving two shallow nods and ignoring the huffs from Widdon and Combes (Ed didn't let it slide and pinned them both with a glare that lasted for a few moments), Mustang gestured to Hawkeye. "This is Captain Riza Hawkeye, my second," he said before clapping a hand on Ed's shoulder, removing it after only a moment. "This is Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," he said. The only sign he gave that he heard Ed's usual snarl at the use of his rank was a slight upward twitch of his lips. "To his left is his brother and personal aide, Alphonse Elric." Ed's annoyance immediately turned to amusement when his sharp ears picked up Al's annoyed mutters. He knew for certain Al was definitely smiling at the generals but he just knew Al was as annoyed with Mustang as Ed was himself. "And 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc," Mustang said, finishing the introductions with a gesture to Havoc, who'd responded with a salute, just like Hawkeye did and Ed belatedly realised he should've as well. He blamed Mustang annoying him for why he didn't remember the most basic of military manners.

" _Is it too early to try and eat those two arseholes?"_ Red asked, a snarl in her tone and Ed turned to find her yellow eyes flashing dangerously as they focused on Widdon and Combes.

"As much as it pains me to do this, I have to say yes," Ed told her with a sigh. He kept the conversation through their bond once more, not wanting any of the generals or Grumman to ask what he was talking about. Red's snarl vocalised his own feelings on the matter.

" _Sister, you know we have to behave ourselves in front of Fuhrer Grumman. We need to stay on his good side so our pilots aren't arrested,"_ Black chided Red. Ed knew that the only reason he could hear Black was because the Lion was also reminding him that Voltron's future in this country depended on Grumman's feelings for the Lions and their pilots.

Ed felt something brush against his left hand and looked down to find Blue sitting on his left. Confused, he scratched her between the ears before glancing behind himself to find Lance whispering to Shiro. Ed glanced at Mustang when he felt his eyes on him but shook his head at the man's silent question. Shiro nodded a moment later and Lance approached Ed, a hint of nervousness apparent in the normally confident teen's mannerisms.

"What's up?" Ed asked, keeping his voice a whisper as he continued absentmindedly scratching Blue's ears.

"Just wanted to double-check which general is which. Hunk, Pidge and I can't really see them behind all of you," Lance said, a small smirk appearing on his lips when Ed's face pinched apologetically.

"Sorry about that," Ed said before he turned to look at everyone behind him. "Mustang and I will stay standing where we are but why don't you guys join Shiro, Keith and their Lions? Havoc, Hawkeye and Al can stay behind you, just to give the generals the illusion that someone in our military is watching you guys just in case," Ed suggested.

"That's a good idea," Lance said. "Blue, can you tell the other Lions and ask Hunk to tell Hawkeye and Al what's going on?" Lance requested quietly. Blue gave a small nod before she did as she was asked. Lance's attention turned back to Ed. "So, the generals?" Lance asked, getting back to the main reason he was potentially ruining the generals' first impressions of Voltron.

"Right," Ed said before nodding to Grumman's left-hand side. "Combes is on the end, Widdon is in the middle and Coleman is next to Grumman," Ed told him, ignoring the way Widdon and Combes' eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "On Grumman's right is Ward – she has the red hair – then Sayer in the middle and Brathwaite next to Grumman," Ed finished telling him.

"Okay, thanks, Ed," Lance said, eyes still going over the generals as he repeated their names now that he was sure of who each of them was. "I'll tell Hunk and Pidge," Lance said and Ed gave a nod before the Cuban moved away from him.

"You have to follow him, you know. It's not a good idea to give away just how close we are with each of you yet considering we met you only three nights ago, according to what we're about to tell them," Ed told Blue through their bond when she didn't immediately follow Lance.

" _I know,"_ Blue sighed, allowing Ed to ruffle her ears before she walked away with her pilot.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric." Ed bit back the snarl of irritation that formed when he heard his rank being used only because it was obviously one of the generals addressing him. Everyone else knew that he despised being addressed by his rank. He looked over at Ward expectantly and silently vowing to get revenge against Mustang, who was barely holding back a snort of amusement at Ed's expense. "Is there a problem?" she asked, blue eyes holding his own golden gaze steady.

"No, General Ward," Ed said politely. "One of the diplomatic guests was merely raising an issue himself and two others were experiencing with seeing the seven of you clearly," Ed told her. The scuffling noises he could hear behind him were undoubtedly the Voltron crew rearranging themselves while Hawkeye, Havoc and Al took up new positions behind them.

Her curiousity satisfied, Ward gave Ed a nod but the sound of footsteps echoing behind the doors Ed and the group had entered through caught her attention, as well as the attention of everyone else in the room. Ed saw Grumman nod to Samantha, who walked as quickly as she could without breaking into a run to the doors before she slipped through them. Ed barely had time to reassure the Voltron crew that everything was alright before Samantha reappeared, leading someone Ed soon recognised behind her.

"Brookes?" Ed didn't even realise he'd spoken until his fellow lieutenant-colonel's name was out of his mouth. He felt understanding and recognition flood through his bonds with Lions and knew the five of them were now watching the approaching man with a new level of interest.

"Hello, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Brookes said, apologetic smile set on his face as he used the blonde's rank despite knowing Ed's feelings about it. Brookes nodded to everyone else, greeted Mustang with his name and a salute before turning to the generals and Grumman once Mustang released him. "Good afternoon, Fuhrer Grumman, Generals," Brookes greeted, right hand moving back up into a salute that Grumman dismissed almost immediately. "My apologies for not being on time. There was an unexpected matter I needed to deal with," Brookes explained.

"Is everything alright, Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes?" Grumman asked, brow furrowing ever so slightly.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Brookes told him. "One of my team needed my signature to pursue a new lead in one of my current investigations and I needed to read through their request," Brookes explained, wanting to ease the Fuhrer's concerns. Just like everyone else in Central Command, Brookes was well aware of the amount of work on the Fuhrer's desk currently.

"I'm glad to hear that," Grumman said, relaxing slightly before he focused his attention back on everyone as a whole. "I've asked Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes to attend today's meeting since I believe he and his team would be an asset to your plight," Grumman said, nodding to the Voltron members and Ed's confusion immediately cleared from his face. He'd known that bringing Brookes on board would've been a possibility but he hadn't expected Grumman to have the man attend this meeting. Then again, Ed hadn't expected the generals either.

"We would certainly welcome the help of an Investigations team of Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes' team's calibre," Mustang said as Samantha took up her previous position and Brookes took up place on Combes' left but in a mimicry of Samantha's position on the other side of the dais. Ed noted the slight flush on Brookes' face and resolved to tease the man later about it.

Ed thought he saw Grumman grin at him – likely having seen Brookes' reaction and knew what Ed was thinking – but the smile was gone before he could be sure. "Wonderful," Grumman said. "Before we get to the details of why Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and his team are needed, I believe there are still some introductions to be heard," Grumman said, nodding to the Lions.

Mustang glanced at Ed for a moment but the golden-haired alchemist did a phenomenal job at pretending not to notice his commanding officer silently ask whether he was going to take the lead on this one. Sighing internally, Mustang turned slightly so he could see most of Voltron while not looking like he was being disrespectful to the Fuhrer or generals in front of him. "These ten individuals you see in front of you are known as Voltron," Mustang said, waving a hand to indicate the five Paladins and five Lions. "They are five two-man teams that consist of one human and one Lion. They will explain more of their background and how they managed to arrive in our country themselves," Mustang said before anyone – namely Widdon or Combes, both of whom looked like they were about to – could interrupt with demands about the Lions.

"That's fine," Grumman said before anyone else could say anything and Ed had to hold back his grin at Widdon and Combes' put out expressions, something that was made doubly hard by the Lions' muttering threats at the two generals through his bond with them. Even Blue had some things to say and she was normally the most peaceful of the five!

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang said, nodding his head before he gestured to the first bonded pair he planned to introduce. "These are Katie Holt – though she prefers to be called Pidge – and her partner, Green. Pidge is Voltron's technology expert," Mustang said, allowing Pidge to wave (Shiro had banned her from making peace signs or saying ''sup" like she normally did when being introduced to people) before he moved on.

"Lance McClain and his partner, Blue. Lance is their sharpshooter and medic," Mustang said as Lance gave the generals and Grumman a wave that was half as energetic as it normally was.

"Hunk Garrett and his partner, Yellow. Hunk is Voltron's mechanic and cook," Mustang explained as Hunk gave a nervous nod, obviously not trusting himself to do anything more.

"Keith Kogane and his partner, Red. Keith is an expert swordsman and close combat fighter." Keith gave a short sharp nod while Red glared at them all, making sure to match Widdon and Combes' suspicious looks with one of her own.

"And finally, this is Takashi Shirogane – however he prefers Shiro – and his partner, Black. Shiro is the team leader and their strategy expert," Mustang said, finalising all the introductions. Shiro bowed to Grumman when he was introduced before nodding to the other generals.

Informing Grumman of each human's role in Voltron had been something Keith had suggested around the breakfast table that morning. Obviously not all of their talents would be mentioned but Keith had pointed out that unless Grumman was alright with knowing as little as possible about them, he would ask about their roles so they could have some idea of what they'd be facing if Voltron turned on Amestris. Shiro had agreed with Keith and Mustang had somewhat reluctantly admitted that Keith had a point. Even though Grumman would trust them more because Mustang and Ed backed them than he would without that backing, the Fuhrer wouldn't trust them enough to let them run around Amestris without some knowledge of what their strengths were. The hope was that by giving Grumman one or two of their primary roles on the team that he wouldn't ask for more details, except for maybe clarification.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Grumman said with just enough genuineness in his voice for Voltron and the others to know he meant it. "On behalf of Amestris and her military, it is my honour as Fuhrer to welcome you to our country and capital city as our guests. While I am aware there is a reason for your unexpected visit, I do hope you find the rest of your stay here enjoyable," Grumman said.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said, bowing once more as he spoke for Voltron.

"Why are you here?" Ed almost grinned when Combes suddenly spoke. It was obvious the man had been wanting to do so and it seemed his suspicion, paranoia and general distrust of anything Ed and Mustang was in favour of had overwhelmed the man. "For that matter, how are you here?" Combes' eyes narrowed as though he was trying to pry the information directly out of their minds.

"General Combes, I'll ask only once that you refrain from interrupting without good reason," Grumman said. Ed wanted to giggle at the stern tone of Grumman's voice. It reminded Ed of when his mother reprimanded him and Al for going down to the creek when she said they couldn't. "Especially when that information is about to be shared," Grumman added pointedly, giving the general in question a thoroughly unimpressed look.

" _Serves him right for interrupting,"_ Yellow sniffed distastefully. She didn't glare at Combes but only because both Blue and Red were doing a good enough job for the rest of them. Ed leaned slightly backwards so he could grin at her without Mustang being in the way before he straightened back up.

"My apologies, Fuhrer Grumman," Combes said, barely speaking above a mumble. His face was far redder, though this time with fury and embarrassment.

"An apology? Wonders never cease," Ed muttered to Mustang, making sure his voice stayed low enough so that only he heard him. Of course, the Lions did as well, thanks to their superior hearing, and Ed thought he heard soft snorts from Lance and Pidge but he didn't dare turn around to check lest the generals realise something was up. Mustang shot Ed an amused but reprimanding look before his face smoothed back into his impassive mask.

"Mr. Shirogane," Grumman said, getting Shiro's attention immediately. "If you wouldn't mind, please tell us how exactly you came to find yourselves in Amestris and why you're here," Grumman requested.

"Of course, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said without hesitation. His black eyes found each of the generals and Grumman's before he took a deep breath, readying himself for what he was about to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm so sorry this chapter is later than it really should've been! My only excuses are that it was my birthday yesterday and I crashed late last night, which resulted in a late morning start and I had to work on some bird aviaries I'm building today while we had some nice cool weather. I'm also sorry that I haven't answered any messages on the last chapter and I will be doing so immediately because I feel really bad since I love seeing what you guys think to the chapters! I'll try and post at mu usual time and I'll see you all next week!


	17. Chapter 17

"Four days ago, our leader called for a meeting," Shiro started saying, making sure he stuck to the cover story they'd made for the Ishvalens and repeated to both Pinako and Grumman. "An ally had called for aid when they found themselves under attack. The person attacking them claimed to be the son of our defeated enemies and he was looking for an object he believed would help his people defeat ours," Shiro told them. He had to work hard to keep his known facial ticks at bay so the generals in front of him didn't suspect him of lying. "Our ally was killed and their attacker fled towards another ally, believing them to hold the object he was seeking. Before our ally died, they managed to pass along information about their attacker to our leader. Upon reading it, our leader summoned us and assigned us the task of hunting down our enemy."

"The five of us," Shiro gestured to himself and his fellow Paladins, "got in touch with various contacts we'd made during our missions and learned where our enemy, Lotor, planned to head to next. While we travelled to the location we believed Lotor would be, we read up on what information we had of him," Shiro told them. "The one thing that no one knew and therefore was left out of the file was that Lotor had been dabbling with an energy only a handful of people know how to wield: quintessence," Shiro said.

"What exactly is that?" Widdon demanded the moment Shiro had paused for breath.

"We aren't sure, exactly," Shiro said honestly. None of them – except for maybe the alchemists who'd been with them on the Castle-Ship to defeat Haggar and Zarkon – knew exactly what quintessence was. From what Shiro understood, it was the energy found in every living thing and could be manipulated by alchemists but he had no clue for certain. "As I said, only a handful of people know how to use quintessence and it's only been in recent months that those people have become known. There isn't much information available to us about what quintessence is and how someone is able to use it," Shiro informed him.

"Is it similar to alchemy, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric?" Ward asked, looking directly at him.

The only reason Ed didn't mind the use of his military rank was the fact that Mustang had pouted – if only ever so slightly and for only a moment – at the fact that Ward had addressed Ed rather than the Flame Alchemist himself. "Unfortunately, General Ward, I cannot say one way or another," Ed told her. "I've never seen quintessence in use and I've never tried using it myself. None of the Paladins of Voltron use quintessence so they can't try using our alchemy to answer your question either," Ed said. Ward didn't look awfully happy but she didn't seem like she was going to throw a fit like Widdon and Combes seemed to be. To be fair, Ed wasn't sure if was because Ward had asked the question before they could, because Ed had been polite when he answered, the fact that Ed had no idea whether alchemy and quintessence were similar or any combination thereof.

"Please keep going, Mr. Shirogane," Grumman said, nodding to Shiro.

"My apologies, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said before he continued. "The ten of us managed to catch up with Lotor three nights ago and a fight ensued. The object he had been seeking was something that could enhance quintessence, making it more powerful, or so we now believe after seeing what happened," Shiro said. "I am not sure if it was because it was too much of a power boost for Lotor to handle or if he just wasn't as well trained in the discipline as he needed to be to use it but when he tried using the object, his spell –" that had been something Shiro and the others had agreed on calling arrays. Ed hadn't been impressed with them basically replacing alchemic terms with magic terms but his displeasure hadn't been enough to make them change their mind. "– failed and we," Shiro gestured to the ten members of Voltron, "were caught up in it. What we _believe_ it was originally meant to do was transport Lotor away from us when he realised he wasn't likely going to escape the ten of us but what it ended up doing was somehow transporting the eleven of us to what we've been told was the Ishvalen desert," Shiro finished telling them.

"I assume when you say that eleven of you appeared, the eleventh member was Lotor?" General Brathwaite said and Shiro nodded.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Unfortunately, he didn't appear with us so we were unable to take him into custody immediately," he said, answering what he believed would likely be the next question asked. Judging from the looks on some of the generals' faces, Shiro was right. "Part of the reason we stand before you today is to request aid in capturing the criminal, Lotor, before he has the chance to do anything to hurt any Amestrians as he searches for a way home," Shiro said, keeping his tone respectful as he spoke.

"And that brings me to why Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes was invited to this meeting," Grumman said, interrupting anything the generals could say. Brookes looked over at Grumman questioningly and the Fuhrer noticed. "I am assigning your team to assist Brigadier-General Mustang's team and our guests with their search for the criminal, Lotor," Grumman said. "I understand that your team already has several cases they're currently investigating but from what I've been told of this Lotor, he is a significant danger to Amestris and possibly our neighbouring countries. I ask that you treat this case as your highest priority," Grumman said.

"Of course, Fuhrer Grumman," Brookes said with a salute that Grumman waved him out of. "My team and I would be honoured to assist Brigadier-General Mustang and our guests with their investigation," Brookes told him.

"No one's honoured to work with Mustang," Ed told the Lions through their bond and got five snorts as response. While Ed was pretending not to notice Mustang's suspicious side-eye, he heard three soft noises behind him and knew Pidge, Lance and Hunk had been told what Ed had said and was trying to cover their laughter as best they could.

"Thank you, Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes," Grumman said with a nod.

"What I want to know is how Mustang and Elric even met these ten if they happened to land in the middle of the Ishvalen desert," Widdon said, eyes glinting with the same amount of suspicion that drenched his tone. Ed heard the growls from the Lions reverberate in his mind as he met Widdon's and Combes' gazes with unimpressed ease.

"This will be the only warning you get, General Widdon, to show respect to everyone here," Grumman said, eyes flashing in warning. "No one here is an enemy and your suspicion is completely unfounded," Grumman informed him.

"My apologies, Fuhrer Grumman," Widdon said, looking like he really didn't want to be saying, "but I do not understand how General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric just happened upon ten strangers in the Ishvalen desert," Widdon said. Ed could see how much effort Widdon had to put into saying his and Mustang's titles without sneering and Ed could sympathise with the man. It was taking him a lot of effort to not sneer at Widdon and Combes every time his eyes fell on them.

"Then I suggest next time that you ask rather than demand answers from two members of this military who have earned that right," Grumman said, giving the man an unimpressed raised brow. Ed could see an embarrassed and angry flush forming on Widdon's face and had to suppress his urge to grin madly at it. The Lions, however, had no problems letting their amusement be known to their pilots and Ed.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Widdon said. Ed kind of wanted Grumman to say something about the slight growl in Widdon's voice but the Fuhrer didn't and even though he knew it was to avoid necessary drama in front of diplomatic guests, Ed was still upset about it.

"If you wouldn't mind, Brigadier-General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, would you please tell us of how you met our guests?" Grumman asked and, once again, Ed pretended not to notice the questioning look Mustang gave him to see if he planned to take the lead.

"Our second night in Ishval," Mustang started saying, repeating the cover story they'd given the Ishvalens though Ed couldn't remember the dirty look aimed at him that flashed across Mustang's face, "we noticed a large flash of light in the direction of Resembool, though it was obvious it was far closer to Ishval than it was to Resembool," Mustang reported. "Only a moment or two later, Fullmetal experienced a sudden migraine that disappeared just as suddenly less than half a minute later. Believing the two occurrences to be connected, the five of us asked Scar to escort us in the direction of the flash of light," Mustang told them. "About halfway between Ishval and where we believed the light to have appeared, we found the ten members of Voltron wondering through the desert."

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, what do you believe caused the migraine you suffered?" Grumman asked, concern flashing in his eyes momentarily.

"After speaking with Voltron and getting the details of everything from them when we got back to Scar's home, Al and I think what happened was that I felt the quintessence Lotor used when they arrived here," Ed told him. "Out of the three of us," Ed gestured to himself, Mustang and Al, "I'm the one most sensitive to alchemic energy and while quintessence may not be identical to alchemic energy, apparently it's similar enough for me to sense and react to it," Ed told them, his face completely impassive. All the years of bullshitting his way through military reports with Mustang seemed to be paying off for him right now.

" _I don't think your brother would be very impressed to learn that that's what you're thinking,"_ Green said, her voice filled with amusement.

"Well, he ain't gonna learn it from me, is he?" Ed sassed back, causing Green to laugh before they both paid attention once more.

"There were no lasting side-effects from that?" Grumman asked.

Ed caught Samantha and Brookes' worried expressions and fought down the blush that wanted to rise. "No, Sir, there were not," Ed told him and Grumman gave a nod and flashed him a relieved smile before his expression became impassive again.

"I'm glad to hear that," Grumman said honestly and Ed gave him a small smile that fell off his face before the generals could notice it. Grumman turned his attention back to Shiro. "What will you need in order to hunt down the criminal you seek and is there anything you can tell us about this quintessence Lotor uses and how likely he is to use it against them?" Grumman asked.

"All we need is help circulating Lotor's description and to investigate rumours of sightings of him," Shiro said, pausing so the generals knew that really was everything he was going to request. Once Grumman gave him a nod, Shiro continued. "As for his use of quintessence, I have reason to believe he can't use it in your country for some reason," Shiro told them. If he hadn't had so much experience helping Allura with diplomatic meetings, he likely would've laughed at the slips in some of the generals' masks that gave away their shock.

"Why wouldn't he use his most powerful weapon?" Combes demanded but even Grumman couldn't say anything against the suspicion in the man's tone. However, it didn't stop Ed from pinning the man with a glare momentarily.

"Honestly, I have no idea why however…" Shiro's voice drowned out as Black spoke to Ed.

" _He wants to know if he can tell the generals about your confrontation,"_ Black said, speaking quickly. Ed gave her a quick mental nod that she obviously passed on from Shiro's next words.

"He didn't utilise quintessence during his fight against Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and two of our Lions," Shiro revealed. Only Grumman didn't look shocked by the revelation which Ed took to mean Hawkeye had filled him in on the fight in her last talk with him. "That leads me to believe he either can't use quintessence in this country or he doesn't realise he can."

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, you fought the criminal?" Coleman asked and Ed nodded.

"Alongside the Green and Yellow Lions, Sir," Ed confirmed. "Unfortunately, he escaped when he utilised an unknown weapon that the Lions and I couldn't defend against and before anyone else close by could step in to assist," Ed told him. He didn't have to pretend to sound sour about Lotor escaping since he was still pissed that had happened.

"What weapon?" Sayer asked sharply. Ed didn't bother glaring at her for her tone like he might've Widdon or Combes since he understood the reasons for it. No one liked a criminal on the loose, especially one who was also wielding an unknown weapon.

"It was a stun grenade," Pidge spoke up, jaw set stubbornly in case anyone berated her for doing so but no one (Widdon and Combes) was given the opportunity when Grumman gestured for her to continue speaking. "A stun grenade is a small weapon that can be used to temporarily disable an enemy. Rather than causing an explosion that's aim is to kill or severely injure your opponent, a stun grenade simultaneously releases a blinding light and a deafening noise that's purpose is to temporarily blind and deafen your enemy. The decibel level of the explosion also disrupts the liquid in the middle and inner ear, which destroys the person's sense of balance," she explained.

"That sounds problematic," Grumman said, looking concerned.

"Certainly wasn't fun to experience it, Sir," Ed told him wryly, ignoring the too-interested gleams in Widdon and Combes' eyes that had appeared when Pidge described the stun grenade.

"How do we counter it?" Ward asked.

Ed shrugged. "Unfortunately, the only thing that I can suggest is distance," he told her. "Both Pidge and Hunk were about twenty or so metres away when Lotor set off the stun grenade. They knew what it was and yelled out a warning but it was too late for me and the Lions," Ed said. "Both of them had adverted their eyes and covered their ears but the key thing was the distance between them and us," Ed told Ward, who looked a little upset at the news. "Of course, there's the chance that if I can get to the weapon before it's armed, I can destroy it with alchemy but I can't guarantee that," he added.

"Did he use any other weapons?" Grumman asked and Ed nodded.

"He has a gun," he told them. "It looks nothing like what you'd expect and it seems to function more as a rifle than a handgun," he said. "He's a decent shot but he's not at Captain Hawkeye's level, from what I could tell," Ed said, figuring one of the generals would likely ask about Lotor's proficiency with his weapon.

"Can you describe the weapon to us?" General Brathwaite asked.

" _Shiro says to give as broad a description as you can manage,"_ Black told Ed and a glance at Mustang had Ed receiving a nod from the older man.

"The only things I noticed about it was that it was a large weapon and was black with purple accents," Ed told them, shrugging apologetically.

"Is that all?" Combes sneered and Ed levelled him with an unimpressed look.

"Well, I was a little busy making sure I wasn't killed so I didn't exactly have the chance to ask him about his weapon, General," Ed said, his tone flat as he placed emphasis on Combes' rank.

"Fullmetal," came the warning hiss from Mustang that had Ed glaring at him but seemingly settling down. Ed could've sworn he heard Alphonse groan behind Voltron but he couldn't be sure.

"What I would like to know is why the criminal attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Elric in the first place," Sayer said, directing attention to herself. "I assume that the reason the Green and Yellow Lions were able to aid you in your fight meant they were fairly close by. If so, why would Lotor attack you rather than go around you to find and take out two of his enemies?" Sayer asked.

"We're not sure, General Sayer," Mustang said, taking the wheel and Ed gladly let him. He was too busy taking enjoyment in how angry Combes was getting at the fact that Ed wasn't reacting to his glower. "Fullmetal had spent the morning practising some new arrays while the Green and Yellow teams wanted to spend some time sparring against one another," Mustang explained. "From what Fullmetal told me when he gave me his report, the four members of Voltron were practising only a couple of hundred metres away from him. It's likely that Lotor came across Fullmetal first and decided to eliminate him so he couldn't come to the aid of the four Voltron members," Mustang said. Quite a few generals were nodding their heads in agreement with Mustang's assumptions.

"How do we know they aren't working with this Lotor and this isn't all an elaborate attempt to destroy Amestris?" Widdon asked demandingly and Ed resisted rolling his eyes at the man only because Grumman gave him a look that told him he wasn't allowed to.

"Well, there's the fact that we aren't dead," Ed pointed out, "and we've spent the last three days together. Plus, I've seen Green and Yellow in action and can say with some certainty that if the Lions and their humans wanted you, Fuhrer Grumman and the other generals dead, you most likely would be by now rather than able to question their loyalties," Ed informed him. "And that's not including the fact that Lotor actively tried to kill Green and Yellow when they came to my aid. I was part of that fight and all of Lotor's attacks would've been fatal shots if the three of us hadn't been looking out for one another during the fight. The only non-fatal attack Lotor used was the stun grenade he utilised when Pidge and Hunk caught up to us," Ed said. "That doesn't seem like the actions of someone on the same side as them to me."

"Lotor is responsible for the death of a valued ally," Shiro said, looking directly at Widdon as he spoke. "His parents were responsible for the death of our leader's father and our countries going to war. In the time we've been aware of his existence, Lotor has shown no signs of wanting to find peace with us and has only ever acted to continue in his parents footsteps. He is dangerous to everyone around him and needs to be taken down as soon as possible and that is what we fully intend to do," he informed the general, his voice level and firm.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Brigadier-General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye all believe that Voltron can be trusted, am I correct?" Grumman asked. Ed didn't even have to look over at Hawkeye to know she was nodding alongside them. "Then I am willing to place my trust in them as well," he declared. Ed almost smirked smugly at Widdon and Combes' enraged faces. "I believe we will require their help in finding and securing Lotor and since they have not given any of the Amestrians who have travelled with them the last four nights any cause for concern, I believe there is no reason for us to treat them as anything other than guests in this country," Grumman said firmly.

"What of those Lions?" Combes asked, glaring at the five in question. "Surely we cannot trust those beasts to wander the streets of Central! They're a danger to our citizens and should be locked up before they can cause any damage!" Combes said, eyes flashing menacingly as he spoke.

"Mr. Shirogane," Grumman said calmly and managing to cut anything any of the Paladins or Ed could snap at Combes, "could you explain the relationship each of you have with your Lion and why we can trust them to roam freely amongst our citizens?" he asked and Shiro gave a nod.

"Of course, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said easily. "Our people have an exceptionally unique relationship with lions that goes as far back as our history books cover. Our people have always lived peacefully with the wild lions that populate our country and there's even stories of lions coming to the aid of injured humans, keeping them warm, safe and fed until another human finds them," Shiro told them and Ed saw at least Coleman's and Brathwaite's eyes widen in amazement. "When our country went to war with Lotor's, the lions were almost wiped out. In an effort to protect the lions, our scientists whose fields of specialties couldn't help with the war effort started a breeding program to help grow the lions' population once more," Shiro explained.

"After a few years of breeding the lions and releasing them into the wild to live with whatever population of lions did survive, our scientists noticed an interesting behavourial pattern with the second generation of lions to be bred," Shiro continued explaining. "These lions were more likely to aid our fighters on the front lines with absolutely no training from any human. They showed far more protectiveness of our fighters than previous generations of lions had to the point where they were observed working in teams with other lions and humans to take down an enemy," Shiro told them. "Our leader ordered the scientists to continue their breeding program but to start a new one that focused on breeding the lions who showed this protective streak in hopes that future generations bred from these lions may provide animals who could be trained to work with a specific human and assist them with stealth and insertion missions. After all, the lion's senses are far more superior to the human's and they may be able to warn their human of approaching danger long before the human becomes aware of it," Shiro said.

"And these are those lions?" Ward asked, gesturing to the five Lions in front of them.

"No," Shiro said. "These five are the fifth generation of that breeding program and they are the last to be bred. No more will bred, from these five or any of the older generations for this experiment. Our scientists believe the five Lions you see in front of you cannot be improved upon and breeding with them will result in inferior cubs for the program's purposes," he told her and Ward gave a nod to show she understood.

"I'm not hearing a reason as to why we should believe these animals will not slaughter the first Amestrian citizen they come across," Combes sneered.

"You will if you let Shiro continue talking," Ed snarled back, his intolerance for idiots getting the better of him. He heard whispers of encouragement from Red and Green while the three others urged them to remain calm so they didn't cross a line they weren't ready to.

"General Combes, if I have to warn you about your behaviour one more time, you'll be removed from this meeting," Grumman informed him, eyes flashing in warning at Combes before he turned his attention on Ed. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, I understand your hostility towards Generals Widdon and Combes after your dealings with them during the Belmont fiasco but please keep your temper in check for the remainder of this meeting," Grumman requested. Ed thought he saw a confused expression flicker across Ward's face but he kept his attention solely on the Fuhrer.

"Yes, Fuhrer Grumman," he said, tone telling Grumman he'd certainly do his best and Grumman seemed to accept it because he nodded once before facing Shiro once more.

"My apologies, Mr. Shirogane. Please continue," Grumman instructed.

Shiro glanced at Ed, checking to see if the blonde was okay before he nodded. "It's no problem, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said. "As I was saying, the five Lions you see before you are the results of the specialised breeding program. Because they were to be the last of that program, our current leader ordered them to be kept secret until they were old enough to be introduced to soldiers hand selected by our leader to be their partners," Shiro told them before he paused. He noted the disbelieving expressions on a few faces as they took in the five of them again and almost nodded with understanding.

"I apologise for interrupting, Mr. Shirogane," Brathwaite said, eyes still taking in the Paladins as he spoke, "but aside from yourself, your team appears to be in their teens. Why would your leader have chosen ones so young and inexperienced to be the Lions partners?" he asked. Only Ed's instructions to remain calm stopped the Lions from physically growling at the man.

"I understand your concerns and confusion but our leader didn't actually choose us," Shiro told them. "We'd stumbled across the area the five Lions were being raised and introduced to potential human partners by accident. Lance was the first to find his Lion, Blue, and thought she was being abused. Not standing for it, he released her and was halfway back to where he'd left us when we ran into him," Shiro said and Lance straightened slightly under the gazes he and Blue were receiving, refusing to cower beneath them. Blue rubbed up against him in a show of support and comfort. "We talked him into taking her back since it was obvious she was important but once we were there, we found our Lions," Shiro continued saying. "Of course, the soldiers and scientists who worked with and protected the Lions were alerted by a silent security alarm and were on us before we could do anything," he told them.

"Much to everyone's surprise, the Lions refused to let the soldiers and scientists near us, going so far as to give verbal warnings to stay back when they tried. They wouldn't even let us surrender to the soldiers, keeping us separated from them bodily," Shiro said. "Our leader was eventually notified and she came down to investigate personally. Upon seeing the Lions' behaviour with us, she ordered the soldiers and scientists to back off, declaring that the Lions had found their partners. There was a lot of backlash received from the rest of our government since most of us are underage but our leader refused to listen to them," Shiro said, a fond smile playing at his lips as he pictured what Allura would've been like in that sort of situation. "While everything was being sorted out, we were then told about the Lions and why they were so special. We became Voltron that day and were thrown into training and missions before we could blink," Shiro told them.

"Our Lions have never harmed a human who hasn't deserved it," he then told them, eyes lingering on Combes and Widdon for a moment longer than they did on everyone else. "They have never shown hostility towards anyone unless they were an enemy or intended to do us and others harm. They are fiercely protective of those who have earned their loyalty and they are extremely intelligent. They know the difference between an enemy and a civilian and they listen to us or those who have earned their respect and loyalty. Having said that, if one of us or someone else the Lions trust tried to order them to attack someone who was not a threat, they would refuse," Shiro informed them. "They are not mindless animals who operate on instinct as you may believe. They are just as intelligent as any person and possess more humanity than some humans I've come across or have heard stories about," Shiro said, his tone firm. "They will not attack anyone without due cause and even then, they will not go for a fatal blow unless it cannot be avoided," he told them, holding Grumman's gaze as he spoke those last few words.

"Thank you for putting those concerns to rest, Mr. Shirogane," Grumman said. "Is there anyone who holds any legitimate worry about the five Lions being allowed to walk the streets of Central and Amestris as a whole with their partners?" Grumman asked, his eyes pinning both Widdon and Combes in place when he said 'legitimate' and reminding them how thin the ice they were on was.

"I do not, Fuhrer Grumman," Brathwaite said. Ward, Coleman and Sayer immediately echoed him while Combes and Widdon looked like they were having teeth pulled.

"Nor do we, Your Excellency," Widdon finally ground out and Grumman gave a satisfied nod.

"Wonderful," Grumman said. "Does anyone else have any questions before we call this meeting to a close? I have some things I'd like to discuss with Voltron, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Brigadier-General Mustang and those with them in private and I'm sure they'd like to go home at a reasonable time tonight," Grumman said.

"I have a question, Your Excellency," Brookes said and Grumman gave him a nod to go ahead. Brookes turned to face those gathered in front of the Fuhrer and generals. "Can anyone provide me with a description of Lotor so I can circulate it to nearby military outposts?" he asked.

"Yeah, I can," Ed said immediately. "Do you wanna see if Major Armstrong has some time to do a sketch this afternoon?" Ed asked and Brookes gave a nod.

"Yeah, I'll find him after this meeting. I assume you'll be heading back to your offices after your talk with Fuhrer Grumman?" Brookes asked and Ed nodded.

"Gotta introduce the rest of the team to Voltron," Ed told him, not bothering to consult Mustang about it.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Brookes said with a nod that Ed returned. "Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman. That was all I needed to ask," Brookes said, turning to Grumman and bowing slightly.

Grumman nodded to Brookes before addressing everyone else once more. "Were there any other questions?" he asked. Upon receiving nothing more than negative responses to his question, Grumman spoke again. "Then this meeting is finished. Thank you, Generals, for attending and enjoy the rest of your day. Dismissed," Grumman said sharply, waving everyone out of their salutes and allowing them to make their way down the dais.

Ed had to really fight back the urge to flip Widdon and Combes off as they beelined for the door, looking less than impressed with the way the meeting had gone. Once the two men had left, Ed turned to the rest of the generals to watch them leave. Both Coleman and Sayer did so almost as quickly as Widdon and Combes had but with much more respect than either had shown. Apparently Ward and Brathwaite needed to speak with Grumman since they lingered but both of them did leave after only a few extra seconds each. Brookes and Samantha made their way over to the group while Grumman was still speaking with the last two generals and Ed grinned at them both.

"Somehow I am both surprised and unsurprised that you went to Ishval and came back with ten strangers, five of whom are Lions," Brookes said with a grin of his own as he offered his hand for Ed to shake now that they could actually greet one another.

"Gotta keep everyone on their toes, don't I?" Ed joked as he shook Brookes' hand before releasing it. "I heard Combes and Widdon were the ones who raised a fuss about the Lions and their humans. Got anything interesting to share?" Ed asked, completely unashamed in his search for gossip. He needed new material to provoke Widdon and Combes with.

Brookes seemed to freeze as he opened his mouth to reply and Ed gave him a concerned look. It was Samantha who solved the mystery. "A couple of the Lions are behind you," she told him. Ed was pleased to note that she was a little more relaxed around them than she had been earlier but there was still some underlying tension there as she spoke.

Ed glanced behind himself to find Blue and Red approaching him and he gave them a quick smile before turning back to Brookes. "They're friendly, Brookes," Ed reminded him and Brookes seemed to suck in a deep breath at it.

"I know but I guess knowing that doesn't fully prepare you when there's Lions approaching you," he said, chuckling self-deprecatingly.

Samantha gave him a sympathetic look while Ed dismissed his concerns. "Don't worry about it. Al froze as well when he first met them," Ed told him just as Blue and Red nudged his arms, demanding scratches as they joined in on the conversation.

"Would you stop telling people that, Brother?" Al asked as he joined Brooked and Samantha. "Hello, Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes. Hello again, Miss Samantha," he greeted the two with friendly smiles before he glared at Ed once more.

"If you're lucky," Ed told him and Al groaned, causing Ed to grin. "Anyways, these are the Blue and Red Lions," Ed said, introducing the two before looking back at Brookes. "So? Any interesting stories about those two idiots to share?" Ed asked once more but Brookes was interrupted before he could answer.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, General Mustang, would the two of you and Voltron accompany myself and Samantha back to my office so I can go over some details with you all?" Grumman asked and Ed swore he saw some amusement in the old man's eyes when they locked with his momentarily. "Alphonse, Captain Hawkeye, Lieutenant Havoc, I apologise but I don't think my office will be big enough to accommodate the three of you in addition to the others," he said, looking genuinely apologetic about it. "You're more than welcome to wait outside my office or to return to yours," he added.

"If you don't mind, Fuhrer Grumman, I think I'd prefer to wait outside your office," Hawkeye said and Al gave a nod of agreement that Havoc mimicked.

"That's fine," Grumman said with a small, unsurprised smile. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes, thank you for attending this meeting, especially with the short notice you were given," he said, facing Brookes.

"It was no problem, Fuhrer Grumman," Brookes said with a small bow. "Ed, I'll let Breda or Falman know what time Armstrong agrees to sit down with us," he told Ed, who gave an agreeing nod before Brookes turned back to Grumman. "By your leave, Fuhrer Grumman?"

"You're dismissed," Grumman said, waving the salute Brookes gave him away. Brookes gave him a nod then smiled at Ed before he headed for the door to hunt down Major Armstrong. "Shall we?" Grumman asked, bringing Ed's attention back to him. Upon receiving no arguments – not that Grumman was truly expecting any – Grumman gave a small nod before he gestured for them all to follow him. "Then let's go."

* * *

"Thank you for your work today, Samantha," Grumman said as they entered the outer office. "I'm aware you gave up your usual lunch hour in order to intercept our guests. Would you like to go for lunch now?" he asked.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman, but I'm fine," Samantha told him as she reclaimed her desk.

Grumman didn't bother arguing with her – which Ed personally thought was a great idea considering Samantha was in charge of Grumman's schedule and Ed has known her to be subtly petty towards those who have displeased her – and just nodded his acceptance of her decision and turned to the rest of them. "Captain, Lieutenant, Alphonse, please wait out here until we're finished," Grumman requested and the three nodded.

"Yes, Fuhrer Grumman," Hawkeye said as she and Havoc saluted.

Grumman waved them out of their salutes as he turned to the others. "Let's head into my office. My schedule is cleared for the next hour, I believe?" Grumman said as he turned once more to Samantha, who gave him a nod without even looking up from her desk. Grumman looked mildly amused as he led them all into his office. Grumman gave Ed and the doors a look and the blonde took the hint and closed them once the last Lion and Paladin was in the room. "Now," Grumman said as he sat behind his desk, "I would like the real story of how the ten of you appeared in our dimension," he said, looking at Voltron expectantly.

Shiro was as unsurprised when none of his teammates volunteered to take the lead in speaking as he was when Black took up position firmly on Ed's right the moment the blonde joined them. He spotted the dirty looks the other Lions – minus Black – gave Blue when she managed to sidle up on Ed's left before they could just as he moved his focus on the Fuhrer and it took some effort on his part not to smirk at them before he spoke. "The day Brigadier-General Mustang and Edward travelled to Ishval, our leader, Princess Allura, called us in for a briefing about Lotor when she and her advisor had become aware of him," Shiro told him before launching into the details about what the files Allura, Coran and the fallen planet had managed to gather on Lotor and the war meeting they'd had between the two surviving planets of the same cluster that had immediately preceded their encounter with Lotor.

At this point, his team started piping in now and then with things they'd observed either during the meeting or the fight with Lotor before they helped him report on what happened with Allura's array during the fight. Shiro told Grumman of his decision to trust Green's instincts that the world they were being sent to was friendly and his orders to let them be pulled through the portal. At this point – and at Mustang's silent insistence – Ed took over and described what had happened to him while the battle was going on and when Voltron had fallen through the portal then the aftermath with the Ishvalens when it clicked for Ed that Voltron was now in his dimension.

Between the two Amestrians and the Paladins, they detailed the search for the other in the Ishvalen desert. Grumman had looked concerned about the injuries Shiro, Lance and Hunk had suffered but Lance was quick to reassure him that he'd patched them up as soon as he'd been made aware they were injured. No one commented on the dirty look Lance pinned Shiro with nor did they comment on the sheepish expression on Shiro's face in response to that glare. Ed thought Shiro definitely took more pleasure in describing the Lions' reactions to seeing Ed again than he should've.

"I'll definitely be getting your human back for that," Ed muttered to Black through their bond while he fought down a blush. Hunk had taken mercy on Ed and was talking about the walk back to Ishval to take attention off the flushing alchemist.

" _I may even pretend to know nothing about any plan you come up with so you can,"_ Black told him, her voice laced with amusement.

"So we came up with our cover story while Scar was escorting Major Miles and Master Teman to his home," Lance told Grumman, taking over the report from Hunk and telling Grumman all about their day stuck in the Ishvalen's home while Hawkeye and Havoc drove to Resembool and back to fetch an extra car.

By some silent mutual agreement everyone glossed over the drive to Pinako's and the first night at her place and both Pidge and Ed took turns in describing the morning at Pinako's and the resulting fight with Lotor. Ed went into further description about what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a stun grenade and he included the injury he'd copped from the tree after Mustang made a not-so-subtle comment about his injury and Grumman had given him a concerned look.

"I'm also taking revenge on Mustang and I'm gonna recruit you lot to help me with that one," Ed informed the five Lions. Despite the fact that he'd spoken through their bond, Mustang still gave him a suspicious look while Shiro recounted what the tracking party had – or rather, _hadn't_ – found while Ed, the two Lions and Den recovered. Ed suspected that the only reason his commanding officer even knew something was up was because the Lions suddenly looked both gleeful and calculating when they looked at Mustang.

Finally, Mustang decided to help with the debriefing by telling Grumman about picking up the truck and the drive to Central that morning. Grumman listened to the entire report without speaking unless he needed clarification which he – understandably – needed a fair amount of that during the Paladins' report about their war meeting with their alien allies. Finally, once the report was completely given, Grumman steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them as he contemplated everything he'd been told.

"As you have undoubtedly been told, I've declared the ten of you diplomatic guests," Grumman told them, leaning back slightly in his seat. "Now, since we've been at war with most of our neighbouring countries, our protocols for diplomatic guests weren't developed fully. Of course, since I have gained the Fuhrer position, I have been seeking to better our relationships with our neighbours and I have pushed through improvements on our protocols," Grumman explained. "What this means is that Amestris is prepared to cover the costs of your accommodations, as well as provide you all a stipend to cover any living expenses, such as food and clothing, you may need to pay for," Grumman told them. "However," Grumman said before anyone could say anything, "I'm afraid that our hotels will likely not allow the Lions to stay in their rooms, no matter how polite they are," he told them, looking apologetically at the Lions.

"Yeah, I doubt the Royal Amestris would be willing to put them up, even with all the shit they've had to deal with because of me," Ed said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I know Mustang has a spare room and a couch so he could probably put up with three pairs and Miss Gracia might be willing to put up with the other two pairs if we asked nicely," Ed told Grumman.

"If General Mustang and Mrs. Hughes are willing to house Voltron for however long they're in our country for, I would be willing to pay them a stipend to cover their food and other expenses while they reside with them," Grumman said, looking at Mustang expectantly.

"I'm willing to house three teams," Mustang told him, not looking happy about being put on the spot with no warning.

"I'll talk to Miss Gracia tonight and give you an answer tomorrow," Ed said and Grumman gave him a nod.

"Ask her to save any receipts from purchases made on behalf of the members of Voltron under her roof and I'll reimburse her for them on top of the stipend she'll receive, should she agree, of course," Grumman said and Ed gave him a nod. "The same goes for you, General Mustang," Grumman said and, in a mimicry of Ed's earlier move, Mustang gave him a nod.

"Of course, Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang said.

"Wonderful," Grumman said, clapping his hands together lightly. "Now, Edward, did Scar give you an answer about his attendance to the ceremony?" he asked and Ed blinked owlishly at the subject change before the question registered.

"Yes," Ed said. "He told me that he would be in attendance unless something urgent happened and he was required to deal with that," he told him.

"Understandable," Grumman said with a nod. "The Ishvalen elders gave me a pretty similar answer in response to the letter I'd sent them," he said. "Now, I don't think I have anything more to ask or to tell you and unless you do, I suggest that you introduce Voltron to your teams, Mustang, and get them up to speed before you get together with Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes," Grumman advised.

"I do not," Mustang said before he looked at the Paladins and Ed pointedly.

Shiro exchanged glances with his team before he addressed Grumman. "I don't think we have anything to ask or tell you, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro told him.

"Like how upset would you be if the Lions took a chunk out of a general or two?" Ed asked. "Like, specific generals, not just whichever one walks past them first?" he clarified, lips twitching when he heard a few snorts of laughter. The Lions were all looking at Grumman with immense interest while Mustang sighed slightly.

"No one – including your friends – is allowed to injure someone else without provocation," Grumman informed him, " _and_ ," Grumman emphasized, raising a brow knowingly, "you cannot blow something out of proportion to justify yours or your friends responses, no matter who the offender is," he told him, eyes glinting when Ed pouted slightly.

"Well, I'm confident they'll do something stupid enough that the Lions' reactions will be justified," Ed said with no doubt in his voice. Mustang sighed again, something that caused more than Ed to grin at.

"Now that that is out of the way," Grumman said, eyes flashing at Ed with amusement, "I will be issuing Samantha with an order to allow yourselves, any member of your teams or Brookes' team immediate access to my office, no matter what, should you uncover information regarding Lotor's location and you need an immediate response from me," Grumman told them.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang said and Grumman gave him a nod.

"Good luck with your investigation," Grumman said and both Ed and Mustang gave a salute, recognising that Grumman was bringing an end to their meeting with him. "Dismissed," he said as he waved the two alchemists out of their salutes.

"Bye, Grumman!" Ed called as he held the doors open for Voltron to walk through back into Samantha's office and join the three they'd left in there.

"Goodbye, Edward," Grumman said, giving the blonde a smile before the doors shut behind them, allowing Grumman a few moments of peace to digest everything he'd been told in the last hour before he sighed and pulled the closest stack of paperwork towards himself and got started on them.

"All done?" Both Samantha and Al spoke at the same time the moment the doors shut behind Ed.

"Yup," the blonde told them both as he caught up. "Grumman's gonna contact you in few minutes, Miss Samantha," Ed warned the brunette, who nodded in thanks while Mustang brought Hawkeye and Havoc up to speed on what had happened inside Grumman's office.

"Thank you for the warning, Edward," Samantha said with a smile. "Have a good afternoon."

"You as well," Ed said with a smile before he joined back up with his brother and the rest of the group.

"Did you behave yourself?" Al asked the moment Ed was close by and Ed rolled his eyes at him.

"Of course I did," Ed told him, pointedly ignoring the looks he knew he was getting from Mustang and a couple of Paladins. He did scowl at the disbelieving expression on Al's face though, despite knowing his brother may have had more than a few examples of _why_ his disbelief wasn't totally unfounded.

"Let's head to the office and introduce you ten to our missing team members," Mustang said once he'd finished speaking with Hawkeye and Havoc.

"Lead the way," Shiro said and with final goodbyes said to Samantha, the fifteen people and Lions headed back out into the hallway to make their way to Mustang's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those of you who left a comment on the last chapter. I really appreciated it a lot and I would absolutely love to know what you thought to this chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

During the almost three hours it took from them parking the truck upon first arriving to leaving the Fuhrer's office after giving Grumman the full, truthful version of events, word had evidently spread about the fact the Lions were on base and that they were actual _lions_. Ed had come to this conclusion upon noting the fact that of the thirty-odd soldiers they'd passed to reach the halfway point between the Fuhrer's office and Mustang's. Of those thirty-odd, perhaps half of them were able to salute Mustang and/or Ed (depending on whether the soldier's rank was below that of lieutenant-colonel) and nod to those with them before moving on without much more of a reaction than widening eyes as they took in the Lions. The other half of the soldiers, however, were what Ed was able to base his observations off. Despite their muscles coiling as though they instinctively wanted to turn tail and run upon seeing the Lions, they very obviously made themselves relax enough to greet Mustang and Ed properly and – much to Ed's amusement – made themselves walk away rather than break into the run they obviously wanted to.

"Leave them alone, Fullmetal," Mustang said once more as Ed gleefully watched another soldier half-walk, half-run away from them after crossing their path.

"I didn't say or do anything to them," Ed claimed again as they turned down another corridor. Ed could feel the Lions' displeasure at being forced to walk at a distance from Ed that wouldn't clue any passerby to the fact that they were closer to Ed than they ought to be after only four days and that they had been silently encouraged by their pilots to let the soldiers who were obviously terrified of them walk away without an actual _reason_ to be scared of them. If he was being honest, Ed was pretty upset at the fact that the Lions weren't allowed to express their displeasure at people's reactions towards them. Their reactions after having a Lion or two growl at them would've well and truly made up for the fact that Ed had had to suffer being in Widdon and Combes' presence for more than three seconds. "I have no idea why you're telling me to leave them alone," Ed told Mustang, using his best innocent voice.

"So you weren't memorising their faces so you could get some sort of petty revenge on them at a later date?" Mustang asked knowingly.

"No," Ed lied and from the amused twitch of Mustang's lips, Ed knew he hadn't done a very good job at acting like he was telling the truth, not that he had been trying overly hard to start with.

" _That is very sweet of you,"_ Blue cooed. _"We want in on the planning,"_ she informed him.

"Of course you guys get a say in the planning," Ed told her, sounding a little offended that they'd thought otherwise.

" _We never thought otherwise but we wanted to make certain you knew we definitely wanted in,"_ Red told him.

"No plotting against our soldiers, Fullmetal," Mustang ordered. "We don't need the whole base to be on guard because of you and the Lions rather than keeping their focus on outward threats like Lotor," Mustang told him.

"I wouldn't do anything until _after_ Lotor had been dealt with," Ed muttered petulantly and causing Mustang and the Lions to huff out some laughter in response.

Mustang opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but they were interrupted by a random soldier coming across them once again. After dismissing the salute – and nudging Ed slightly so he did the same since the blonde hadn't noticed the soldier was only a sergeant – Mustang dismissed the man so they could continue on their way. Ed watched in visible amusement as the solider skirted around the group, just barely hugging the wall so they were as far from the group and therefore the Lions as possible. When Mustang noticed Ed's expression, all he ended up doing was shaking his head minutely as he continued to lead them down the corridor towards his office.

* * *

Although he wasn't entirely sure what to expect, Ed was certain that seeing 2nd Lieutenant Amaya Mason almost have a heart attack when she turned from closing her team's door and saw them wasn't something he'd thought he'd see. The red-head's face paled considerably upon seeing them and there were a few moments where Ed thought she might faint but she proved that she was certainly made of stronger stuff when she visibly straightened and faced them head on.

"Good afternoon, General Mustang," Mason said, saluting the man before smiling at Ed. "Hey, Edward. Haven't seen you around for a couple of weeks," she greeted the blonde far less formally than protocol dictated once she was released from her salute by Mustang. "Good afternoon, Captain Hawkeye, Lieutenant Havoc," she added quickly upon spotting her two fellow soldiers behind Voltron.

"Yeah, Al and I had better things to do with our time than spend it with Mustang," Ed told her once Hawkeye, Havoc and Al had said their own hellos and Mason gave Al an apology for not having noticed him amongst the other civilians.

Mustang rolled his eyes while Mason grinned. Out of every member of both teams, Amaya Mason was the once most likely to react positively and even respond in kind to Ed's usual blunt manner without fear of her superiors reactions. It wasn't that she didn't respect Mustang – in fact, Ed was certain that the only people who she respected more were Lieutenant-Colonel Eloise Lambert, the late Major-General Bernard Andrews and Fuhrer Grumman – but she certainly held no fear of the man like the soldiers outside his command did. It did help that Mustang hadn't tried flirting with her the moment they met – mostly thanks to the fact that both Hawkeye and Ed had been present and he knew just what would have happened if he tried to do so in front of both of them – and that Mustang was a little more lenient with those directly under his command so long as they did their jobs swiftly and to his expectations, especially now that Grumman was in charge.

"Because we were accompanying General Mustang, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc to Ishval to see how the Ishvalens rebuilding efforts were going," Al said, glaring at his elder brother since he couldn't physically hit him for his rude remark, "we haven't been around in the last week or so as we've been preparing for that trip," Al explained, answering Mason's original question and giving her a smile that she returned gratefully.

"Well, I'm sure that Elysia will be delighted to learn that you were able to keep your word about not going on any secret missions and returning back to Central within five days," Amaya said, causing Ed and Al to both laugh while Mustang's lips twitched up into an amused smile. "And I'm sure she'll be delighted to meet your new friends," Amaya added, glancing pointedly at the Lions and their Paladins.

"Right, you haven't been introduced to them," Ed said, catching onto what Amaya was implying. "What are you doing now?" he asked, noting her empty hands and remembering that she was coming out of the office rather than going in and there wasn't much that permitted members of either of Mustang's teams to leave the offices during the work day that didn't involve being empty handed.

"I was just going to get myself some coffee," Amaya told him, looking mildly intrigued by his interest.

"Is everyone else in there?" Ed asked, gesturing to Lambert's office and Amaya nodded. "If you can wait for your coffee for a few minutes and assuming Fuery, Breda and Falman are in our office, we'll do introductions while everyone's here, if you're okay with that?" Ed asked the woman.

After working closely with the late General Andrews' team for nearly four months now, Ed now had a very good idea of how dependant each of them was on caffeine in nearly every circumstance. Amaya Mason was one of those who Ed both respected and feared because she didn't drink coffee for the caffeine; she drank it because she liked the taste. It had the same effect on her as tea or hot chocolate did, no matter when she drank it. Ed had seen her go for days without a single cup of coffee and he had no clue how she did it. Thankfully, Lambert, Greene, Valentine and Simon seemed to require at least three cups of coffee to get them through the day so Ed hadn't been completely freaked out by the caffeine habits of Mustang's newest team.

"I can wait," Mason assured him. "I'd much rather meet your new friends," she told him with a smile as she glanced back over to Voltron for a moment before she met Ed's eyes again.

"Cool," Ed said. "Can you go back and tell your team to open up the doors between our offices and we'll do introductions?" Ed asked and Amaya gave him a nod.

"Of course, Ed. I'll you in a few moments," she said before turning around and heading back into Mustang's secondary office.

"You do remember that _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be issuing orders?" Mustang asked, one brow raised in amusement as Ed waved off his query.

"Yeah, but no one wants to listen to you," Ed told him as though it was the obvious reason he had handled the conversation with Mason.

"Brat," Mustang muttered as he stepped past Ed to get to their office door.

"Bastard," Ed replied cheerily, ignoring the glare Mustang shot him as he gestured for everyone to follow them inside the office where Ed got to watch both Breda and Fuery's expressions turn from happy to gobsmacked the moment they saw Black, who had been the first of the five Lions to enter the offices.

Ed smirked in amusement as he took in their faces as they watched the Lions and their Paladins make their way into the office. Falman – who had been opening the doors connecting their office directly to Lambert's – stepped aside to let Lambert's team take up a position that let them see everything that was happening and Ed delighted in seeing the normally passive mask of Falman's falter when he noticed the Lions. The only one from Lambert's team who didn't react was Mason, who joined Ed in grinning at her teammates' reactions.

"It's good to see the five of you made it back from Ishval in one piece, General Mustang," Falman said as he saluted. His words and actions caused the others – aside from Mason, who had saluted once more as Falman did – to break out of their shock and greet Mustang how they were supposed to.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Falman," Mustang said, gesturing for them to drop their salutes, which they all did in almost the same moment. "Fullmetal once again managed to prove that there is no such thing as a straightforward mission when he is involved," Mustang told them, smirking at Ed when the blonde glared at him. The only reasons Ed didn't try and get physical retribution was because Hawkeye would've reprimanded him and because Red and Green both snarled at Mustang on Ed's behalf, causing Mustang to scowl at the two of them while Ed grinned in delight and scratched their ears in thanks.

"I thought you weren't going to encourage their dislike of General Mustang?" Shiro asked Ed, keeping his voice low as Mustang took the lead on introducing everyone who didn't know each other yet.

"No, I told them they needed to get their own reasons for disliking Mustang after I learned their reasons for giving him the cold shoulder," Ed corrected the Black Paladin, who gave him a scolding look. "What? It's not _my_ fault Mustang's an arsehole," Ed told him, purposefully misinterpreting the reason for Shiro's expression.

"That is not even close to what I meant and you know it," Shiro scolded him, nudging his shoulder in the process, making Ed huff out some laughter as he stumbled sideways a step in response to the nudge Shiro gave him.

" _Behave,"_ Black scolded, positioning herself between the two of them. _"You're about to miss the last of the introductions,"_ she informed Shiro, though Ed could hear her voice echoing slightly in his head.

"- and finally, this is Katie Holt – or Pidge as she prefers to be called – and her Lion, Green," Mustang was saying when Ed started paying attention once more to everyone. He saw both Fuery and Breda looking at him with some amusement but the blonde alchemist elected to ignore them. "I'm sure that everyone has heard by now how Voltron wound up in Ishval and why they're here in Central," Mustang continued on like he had no clue what Shiro and Ed were talking about behind him, "but just in case, here's a quick rundown."

"While we were in Ishval, Voltron and their target, Lotor, appeared after Lotor attempted to manipulate something called 'quintessence' in order to escape before Voltron could capture him. Needless to say, something went wrong and Voltron ended up in the Ishvalen desert while Lotor ended up closer to Resembool," Mustang told them. "We witnessed a flash of light and Fullmetal felt the quintessence Lotor had used. Suspecting the two events were connected, we went to investigate and ascertain whether whatever happened was intended to cause harm to Ishval and/or Amestris," Mustang said. "We found Voltron about an hour outside of Ishval and were told their story. Once they managed to convince us they were telling the truth, we headed back to Ishval to start planning what we should do." Mustang paused for a moment and saw no surprised faces, telling him that everyone had indeed heard all of this information before now.

"After reaching Resembool and contacting Fuhrer Grumman, we made our way to Central where we received our orders," Mustang said. He was pleased when everyone bar Voltron, Havoc, Hawkeye and the Elrics straightened a little at those words. "We will be assisting Voltron in their search for the criminal, Lotor. This will be the priority mission for my team but it will be secondary for your team, Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert," he said, focusing his attention and words on his second in command.

"Yes, General Mustang," Lambert said, not looking overly surprised with her team's orders.

"Fullmetal and Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes will be working together to help Voltron run down leads," Mustang told them. "A report will be made each day to be given to your team, Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert, so that you are all up to speed with any progress they've made." Lambert and her team gave a nod of understanding and Ed filed that information away so he could let Brookes know when he saw the man next. "Providing they do not have any time-sensitive orders from myself or Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert, Fullmetal has permission to take any soldier from under my command to help run down leads or help with the investigation," Mustang continued talking and Ed added that to the list of things he needed to tell Brookes.

"Fuhrer Grumman _did not_ give any member of Voltron the jurisdiction to arrest anyone, including Lotor, so any arrest will have to be performed by an Amestrian military soldier," Mustang said, making sure he got nods of understanding from each member of Voltron (Lions included) before he finished telling everyone what he needed to regarding Lotor. "Voltron is, of course, allowed to assist with following leads and questioning people so they are to be treated in much the same regard as the six consultants who were here a few months ago," Mustang informed them and received nods from everyone. "Is there anything anyone needs clarified?" he asked.

Lambert looked at her team before she shook her head. "Not from us, Sir," she told him.

When no one else was forthcoming with a question Mustang gave a satisfied nod. "In that case, if there is nothing of import to report to me, Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert, you and your team are dismissed," Mustang said.

"There isn't anything that requires your immediate attention, Sir. Anything that does require your attention upon your return has been put on your desk," Lambert told him and Mustang gave her a nod.

"Very well," Mustang said. "If you and your team has finished your work for the day, you may go home early," he told them. He almost grinned at how quickly the four soldiers under Lambert's command managed to hide their excitement.

"Thank you, General Mustang. I believe we have all managed to take care of our duties for the day," Lambert said, her eyes twinkling in amusement when her team nodded with a bit more enthusiasm than any other soldier would've shown in front of a superior officer, "so we will see you all Sunday morning," Lambert said. "It was a pleasure to meet the ten of you and I look forward to working with you," Lambert said, dipping her head at the grouped Lions and Paladins.

"We look forward to working with you and your team as well, Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert," Shiro said, mimicking her actions.

"Enjoy your afternoon off, guys," Ed said, giving Mustang's second team a grin that all of them returned, even Warrant Officer Darren Simon who had been the team member who had taken the longest to warm up to Mustang's original team and how they behaved when Mustang was the only member of high command in the room.

"Thank you, Edward," Lambert said, her smile turning a bit warmer than it had been as she ushered her team back into their office so the doors could be closed, separating the offices once more into two. Mason managed to give Ed a wave as her team leader tugged her back into their office gently by the sleeve.

Tugging Mason forward had been the only sign that Lambert was anxious to get her afternoon off and Ed couldn't blame her. It was Friday afternoon after all and the only reasons Lambert and her team worked the full weekend was if they hadn't finished their work during the week or if they knew they'd have important documents coming in on the weekend. Usually Hawkeye or Havoc called them all in on the rare occurrence Lambert hadn't been made aware of those reports coming in but the chances of that happening this weekend would be even rarer, if Ed's suspicions of there being no one in either office within the next hour were right.

"Hey, Ed?" Fuery said, catching Ed's attention. Ed gave the bespectacled man a nod, gesturing for him to continue. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes dropped by the office a little while before you guys did with a message for you," Fuery said and Ed perked up.

"Oh, right, he said he was going to drop by with a time for a meet-up with Major Armstrong," Ed said and Fuery gave him a nod.

"The Major told Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes that he'd be happy to meet you in Armstrong's office at four this afternoon," Fuery told him and Ed glanced up at the clock.

"Well, guess I know what I'm doing now," Ed said as he noted the time and realised he had fifteen minutes to get to Armstrong's office to get the sketch of Lotor done. "I'll see if Armstrong will have time to recreate the sketch for Lambert's and Brookes' teams before the end of the day," Ed told Mustang, who gave him a nod.

"I'll see if Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert is willing to stay for another hour so she can get that sketch," Mustang said, looking a little irritated that he'd have to inform Lambert of a change to his own orders.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Ed told him. "I'll see if Lambert and the others will head to a café on the route to your house. I'll drop it off to them on our way past," Ed said. "It shouldn't take me more than an hour to get the sketch to them at the café and I'm sure the five of them can survive that long in a café," Ed said with a shrug.

"Fine, do that," Mustang said. "I take it we'll meet you and Alphonse at mine this afternoon?" he asked. Ed probably should've been a little surprised at the assumption that Al would be going with him if Al hadn't moved towards the door when Ed was told what time Armstrong wanted to meet.

"Yeah, we'll catch a cab or walk to yours after we've caught up with Lambert and her team," Ed confirmed once Al had nodded in agreement.

" _Can we go with you?"_ Blue asked, looking at Ed with hope and excitement in her eyes.

Before Ed could answer, Lance echoed Blue's question. "Can some of us go with Ed?"

Several emotions flickered across Mustang's face – too fast for Ed to figure them out – before the older alchemist sighed. "Two pairs may go with Fullmetal and Alphonse," he permitted.

"Hunk, Lance and their Lions may go with you," Shiro said before an argument between the Paladins and Lions started. Shiro held up his hand to stop the protests that immediately followed his decision. "Lance was the first to ask and Hunk has the best chance of helping Alphonse calm Ed and the Lions down if they should happen to run into Widdon and Combes," Shiro told them, brow raised pointedly at both Keith and Red when they looked disgruntled at Shiro's reasoning.

"Wise choices," Mustang said approvingly, "though I do hope for the base's sake that Fullmetal does not run into Generals Widdon and Combes," he added with a smirk that had Ed glaring at him.

"Those two would deserve whatever I did do them," Ed muttered as he gestured for the yellow and blue pairs to head to Al, "or whatever the Lions did to them," Ed added as he shrugged a shoulder.

"I thought I said to do nothing to them on base?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded.

"I reckon that depending on where we run into them, I could launch them off base with some alchemy," Ed told him.

"Edward, no," Hawkeye said before Mustang could say anything. "They've done nothing recently to warrant such a reaction and Fuhrer Grumman will be most upset if he has to have you court-martialled because of them, especially since you've only just signed another contract with the military," she informed him, level voice complete with a raised brow.

"You've got two good points, Miss Riza," Ed said with a nod. "We won't attack them unless they give us a reason to." Hawkeye's brow raised a little more. "A _good_ reason to," Ed amended, much to Hawkeye's satisfaction and almost everyone else's visible amusement.

"You'd best get going if you want to reach Major Armstrong's office on time," Hawkeye said, "especially if you're stopping next door to speak with Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and her team first," she added and Ed gave her a nod.

"Yeah, you're right," Ed said. "We'll see you lot later," he said, waving the group as a whole as he headed out of the door behind Al, Lance, Hunk and the two Lions.

" _Behave yourself,"_ Black said, echoing the same warning Shiro gave at almost the exact same time as her pilot did.

"I never do," Ed said, grinning at them before he lost sight of them when the door shut completely. "Right," he said, turning to those who were going to Armstrong's office with him, "let's go see Lambert quickly then we can get this over and done with."

* * *

"Here we are," Ed said as he stopped outside a seemingly random door. "I know the two of you," Ed glanced at Hunk and Lance, "haven't actually met the Major but have you seen him through Blue and Yellow's memories?" he asked.

"Yeah, Blue's shown me snippets," Lance said and Hunk nodded.

"Same for Yellow," he confirmed and Ed gave a nod.

"Okay, good. That means you know what to expect," Ed said. "Just – whatever you're expecting Armstrong to behave like; double it, okay?" Ed suggested as he raised his hand to knock on the door. The fact that Al didn't reprimand his brother for being dramatic was what made Lance and Hunk really take that suggestion to heart.

"Enter!" called a voice from inside and Ed did as they were told.

"Hi, Miss Maria! Hey, Brosh!" Ed greeted the two familiar faces with genuine happiness.

"Ed!" Maria greeted with a smile. "Major Armstrong mentioned you would be dropping by but I lost track of the time," she told him with a small laugh as the group entered the office. Ed saw her hand twitch towards her weapon the moment she realised there were two Lions in her office but she managed to relax before Ed had to say or do anything.

"It happens to the best of us," Ed assured her just before a crash sounded from the other side of the room.

Everyone's attention snapped to the source of the noise and they found an embarrassed Brosh sheepishly picking up some files he had dropped. "Sorry," Brosh apologised, his flush darkening when he realised everyone was watching him. "Suddenly having two Lions in the office without warning was a little startling," he said, giving them an awkward chuckle as he straightened, the files back in his arms.

"Imagine our surprise when we found them in the desert," Ed said dryly and causing Brosh to laugh as the sergeant imagined that particular scene. "Are you okay?" he asked the man and Brosh gave him a nod.

"Yeah, I think I'm good now," Brosh told him. Though Ed believed his words, he also the nervous side-eyed look he gave the two Lions, who hadn't moved from their Paladins' side since they walked into the office.

"Okay," Ed said, choosing to ignore the look. "Where's Major Armstrong?" Ed asked, eyes flicking between the two of them.

"Oh, he had to step out for a minute," Maria told them. "A report he'd handed to a colonel was missing some information. Major Armstrong located the information and even though we offered to do so, he insisted he had to give the colonel the missing information and apologise personally to him," Maria said and Ed winced as he imagined the apology the colonel had likely already received. Maria gave him a look that told him she knew what he was thinking. "He should be back any moment now," she assured them.

As though summoned by her words, the office door opened to reveal the massive form of Major Alex Louise Armstrong. "I trust nothing of import happened while I was out – young Edward and Alphonse!" Armstrong boomed when he caught sight of them standing in the office. "How delightful to see the two of you! And you've brought some of your Voltron friends! How absolutely wonderful!" Both Lions were wincing slightly at the sudden and drastic increase in the noise level in the room.

"Hey, Major," Ed greeted, trying to keep his voice a little lower than usual to see if it would encourage Armstrong to do the same. He felt both Blue and Yellow's gratefulness at his attempts. "You're just in time. I was about to introduce Miss Maria and Brosh to these guys," Ed said, gesturing to the four members of Voltron behind him and Al.

"I am most pleased my timing meant you wouldn't have to repeat yourself, young Edward!" Armstrong said loudly. "Good timing has been a trait passed down the Armstrong family for generations!" he declared as he flexed for reasons beyond Edward.

When Armstrong's shirt looked like it was only moments from being torn off, Ed shot Maria a pleading look that had her step forward, bringing Armstrong's attention to her, though her eyes were fixed on Ed. "How about those introductions now, Ed? I'm sure the six of you have other plans for this afternoon and I know Major Armstrong still has things that require his attention once he's finished the sketch for you," she said lightly and Ed had to hold back the urge to hug her when Armstrong relaxed enough that his poor shirt was no longer at risk of tearing itself to shreds.

"Lieutenant Ross has an excellent point!" Armstrong stated, nodding approvingly at his lieutenant. "Let us get the introductions done so we can move onto the sketch of the dastardly Lotor!"

" _He's really something, isn't he?"_ Blue said as she watched the major with both awe and wariness.

" _None of your memories truly prepared us for meeting him in real life,"_ Yellow informed Ed as her yellow eyes watched Armstrong with intrigue and a healthy dose of caution, which Ed thought was very smart.

"Sorry about that. Pretty sure most of my memories are dulled down to save my mind from the trauma," he told them, keeping those words to their bond, and causing the two Lions to laugh as he focused his attention back on the major. "Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh, meet four of the members of Voltron. These are Lance, Hunk, Blue and Yellow," Ed said, pointing to each of them. "Guys, this is Major Alex Louise Armstrong, the Strong-Arm Alchemist, and his two subordinates, 1st Lieutenant Maria Ross and Master Sergeant Denny Brosh," Ed said, finishing the introductions quickly.

"It is truly a pleasure to meet more of young Edward's foreign friends!" Armstrong said enthusiastically, beaming brightly at the four newcomers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all as well. Edward and Alphonse have spoken highly about all of you," Lance said, returning Armstrong's smile before flinching back when Armstrong's eyes suddenly glistened wetly.

"Oh no," Ed muttered quietly as he took a step away from Armstrong as he watched tears run down the bald man's face as he cried joyfully. A glance told him that Alphonse was also thinking along the same lines as him as they both tried to carefully put as much distance and as many obstacles between them and the crying major as they could.

"What?" Lance asked confusedly. He was still watching Armstrong with concern so he didn't see Ed and Al's movements nor Maria and Brosh exchanging glances. Hunk shrugged when Lance's eyes met his, which was when Lance finally noticed the others and what they were doing.

Before Lance or Hunk could do or say anything, Armstrong gave a strangled – yet somehow joyful – sob before he launched his massive form towards the two non-Amestrian humans, his meaty arms spread wide as he went to scoop the two teenagers into a tight hug that Ed and Al had known was coming the moment Armstrong's eyes had filled with tears at Lance's words. Did they feel bad for using the two unsuspecting Voltron pilots as human shields? Yes. Would they do the exact same thing if need be? Absolutely and with no regrets. They'd both been on the receiving end of an emotional Armstrong's hugs and even as a suit of armour with an inability to feel anything, Al had been terrified of them.

Hunk had managed to get a squeaked 'eep' out as he watched Armstrong coming towards him. For such a large man, he moved extremely quickly – far quicker than Pidge did when she realised Hunk had baked peanut butter cookies and Hunk knew he had no chance to avoid the large man, let alone help Lance out of danger as well. A loud snarl sounded and suddenly Yellow was standing in front of the two pilots, teeth bared as Blue hissed from the other side of Lance, her yellow eyes flashing dangerously. Almost comically, Armstrong came to a complete stop mid stride, his arms just starting to fold in as though he was about to start wrapping them around the pilots while both Maria and Brosh's hands rested on their – thankfully – still holstered weapons as their slightly-widened eyes stayed firmly fixed on the two Lions.

"Major Armstrong," Ed said from his very courageous position behind Hunk, "I suggest you move away from the two Paladins. The Lions are _very_ protective of their bonded partners," Ed warned him.

Armstrong blinked at Ed slowly before he straightened up suddenly. "My sincerest apologies!" Armstrong said, bowing so deeply, the four teenagers were afraid his head would hit the ground. "My enchanting oldest sister has always told me that I allow myself to express my emotions far too much for an Armstrong," he told them as he straightened from his bow.

"My parents always tell me the same thing," Lance said, half chuckling even as he fought to get his heart rate back to normal. Both Blue and Yellow had settled back down now that there was no immediate threat but Lance could see that both Ross and Brosh were still trying to calm themselves down from the sight of the Lions readying themselves to attack.

"That was far scarier than just seeing them walk in," Brosh said, his voice shaking slightly as he removed his hand from his holstered gun. Ed saw Maria doing the same as she released a calm, controlled and silent breath.

"You should see them when they're stalking something," Hunk said lightly. "Knowing you're on the end of one of the Lion's when they're hunting you really makes your blood pressure go up," he told them, which certainly did not help lessen Brosh's tension.

"Okay, I think that's enough of the introductions," Maria said sharply, her eyes still on the Lions even as she stood in a very convincing relaxed stance. "I think it's best if we move on to why Edward is here, Major Armstrong," she said, looking pointedly at Armstrong.

"Yes, I believe Lieutenant Ross is absolutely correct!" Armstrong boomed, all signs of his previous shame gone now that he knew Lance and Hunk had forgiven him. "Let us go into my office so that Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh may continue their good work in peace," Armstrong suggested loudly, gesturing towards the inner office that Ed knew the major usually left open unless he needed absolute privacy.

"I think that's an excellent idea," Ed said approvingly, smiling at Maria and Brosh, both of whom looked like they weren't sure about the Lions being in the same room as their boss, despite the fact that Maria had been the one to suggest it. Lance and Hunk did not look sure about being stuck in a smaller room with Armstrong on the off chance he got overly emotional again.

" _Are you sure this is a good idea?"_ Blue asked, eyeing Armstrong warily, obviously on the same wavelength as Lance and Hunk. Ed was certain that Yellow was thinking the same thing.

"He's the best artist I know and you saw the sketch he did of Belmont when I showed you my memories," Ed told her as he followed the others into Armstrong's office, closing the door at the Major's gesture, "and you saw how much it looked like Belmont," he said and felt her silently concede to his point.

" _If he attacks my pilot again, he'll know about it,"_ Yellow threatened, much to Ed's surprise. Though he knew all the Lions were as protective of their pilots as they were of him or their sisters, Ed had rarely seen Yellow express that protectiveness so obviously.

"That wasn't him attacking Hunk or Lance," Ed told them as Al engaged Armstrong in some conversation, giving Ed the chance to have this discussion with the Lions without Armstrong realising anything amiss. "He was just overwhelmed when Lance told him Al and I had spoken highly of him and his team and he couldn't hold in his reaction. You get used to it," Ed told her, bringing Blue into the conversation as well since he knew she was still wary of the giant man.

" _I know he didn't mean any true harm but he still could've hurt them,"_ Blue grumbled as she sat next to Lance, who had taken a seat on one of the two armchairs Armstrong had in his little office. At a quick glance at Hunk and Al, Ed took the second one and ruffled Blue's ears.

"He wouldn't have," Ed promised her. "He knows his own strength. They likely would've felt the hug for several minutes afterwards but they wouldn't have even bruised," he swore to the two of them.

" _We're still not going to let him try hugging them. Lance's track record for getting injured rivals your own,"_ Blue said, a touch of exasperation and annoyance in her voice.

"Rude," Ed complained, much to their joined amusement.

"Young Edward, are you ready to start describing this nefarious Lotor for me?" Armstrong asked, successfully bringing Ed out of his conversation with the two Lions and back to the situation at hand. Armstrong had pulled out the same sketch book he had used when drawing Belmont from Al's description while he was in hospital and the tip of a lead pencil hovered just above a blank page in preparation.

"Yeah, but there's something I needed to ask first," Ed said and Armstrong gestured for him to go ahead and do so. "Are you able give us three copies of the sketch by any chance?" Ed asked. "Two copies can be done later but I need a copy this afternoon for Lambert's team since they likely won't be in until Sunday," Ed explained.

"Of course, young Edward!" Armstrong said. "Once I have drawn the suspect, I will be able to do so again immediately! I never forget a face I have drawn! It's a trait that's been passed down the Armstrong family for generations!" Both Lions and Paladins winced slightly at how loud Armstrong got as he boasted about his family's traits but Ed and Al were rather used to it.

"Awesome. Thanks, Major," Ed said with a grateful smile. "Ready?" the younger blonde asked and Armstrong gave a nod.

"Yes," Armstrong said. "Now as I told young Alphonse while he was in hospital after that traitorous Belmont attacked him, I'll have you describe the shape of Lotor's face first," Armstrong instructed, his voice much quieter than it had been before. Ed gave a nod and Armstrong's face crinkled with concentration as his pencil moved across the page in light motions as Ed started describing Lotor's features to him.

* * *

"Somehow I don't think any cab driver will be willing to have Lions in their vehicle so I hope you guys don't mind walking to Mustang's," Ed said as he nodded to the two guards stationed at the front entrance of Central Command. Both guards' eyes bulged in shock at Blue and Yellow but they saluted Ed as per protocol and they managed to school their features rather quickly when they realised Ed had noticed when he waved them out of their salutes.

"How far is to General Mustang's?" Hunk asked. Thanks to the training missions – or torture sessions, depending on whether you asked Shiro or Lance – that Allura, Coran and Shiro devised for them, all five Paladins were much fitter than they had been in their entire lives but Hunk still found himself struggling with long distances. He was alright at a sedate pace but he was a little worried he might slow them down if they were in a hurry.

"About a thirty-minute walk with the stop at the Bluebird Café included," Ed told him. "We're not in any hurry though and even if we were, I'd still say we weren't so we can take our time," Ed assured him, a smirk forming on his lips when Al let out a loud, long-suffering sigh.

"Fullmetal, Sir!" The shout of his alchemist title grabbed Ed's and everyone's attention and Ed soon found himself grinning as he put a name to the face and voice.

"Hey, Sergeant Browning!" Ed called back, gesturing to everyone to follow him for the moment as he headed for the driver since it was obvious the man actually wanted to speak to him about something and wasn't just greeting him. "What's up?" he asked once they were nearer the sergeant and the black military car he was standing next to.

"General Mustang called earlier this afternoon and requested a car for you, your brother and your friends," Browning told him, a small frown causing his brows to furrow slightly. It took Ed a moment to realise that Browning thought Ed knew about the order already.

"Awesome. Saves us walking," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder. "We do have to stop at the Bluebird Café though. Do you know where that is?" Ed asked, moving as he beat Browning at opening the back door for the car.

"Yeah, it's along the main road heading towards the older section of Central, right?" Browning asked, obviously seeking clarification that he wasn't mixing the café up with another.

"That'd be it," Ed said as he watched Al climb into the front seat. "I've just gotta meet up with Lambert and her team to drop a sketch off," he told Browning when he noticed the curious flicker in the man's eyes.

"It should only take five minutes or so to get there in this afternoon's traffic," Browning told him and Ed gave him a nod and a smile as he followed the blue and yellow pair into the back of the car.

" _This is so much better than the truck,"_ Blue said with a content sigh as she stretched along the seat she and Lance were on. Two doors shut almost simultaneously before both Browning and Ed made themselves comfortable; Browning behind the wheel and Ed sitting on Lance's other side, leaving the second bench for Hunk and Yellow to share.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself but watch your claws, beautiful," Lance chided as he pet the paw that had almost scratched both Lance's left leg and the section of leather seat that was next to his left leg.

" _Sorry,"_ Blue said sheepishly as she tucked her legs back up underneath herself, rocking forward slightly as Browning pulled the car away from the curb side and merged with the passing traffic. Yellow made a chuffing noise that everyone could identify as laughter. _"I_ will _hurt you if you keep laughing at me,"_ Blue threatened her sister.

" _As if you could beat me,"_ Yellow said, eyes gleaming with amusement at the thought. _"You may technically be older, Blue, but you can't beat me in a physical fight and you know it,"_ she said smugly.

"Please do not start a fight in Sergeant Browning's car," Ed said, interrupting the two by using the bond he had with each of them so he didn't have to speak out loud. "You can slug it out at Mustang's if you want. Just don't do anything in the car," Ed told them.

" _Okay, Ed,"_ Yellow said, followed closely by Blue echoing her words and Ed nodded in satisfaction. Both Hunk and Lance gave Ed a look that was somewhere between amused and grateful that the blonde was able to diffuse the situation.

Despite being over 10,000 years old and having spent all that bar the last six or so months as giant mechanical spaceships, the Lions did on the rare occasion exhibit signs of sibling rivalry and had even physically fought one another over insignificant spats like true siblings did. Having not grown up with siblings or been close to anyone who did have a sibling and having not seen the Lions acting that way, both Allura and Coran had been worried that something was wrong with Lions when Red and Green had gone for each other's throats. It had taken both Lance's and Pidge's accounts of what a sibling rivalry was, Matt's confirmations of Pidge's stories and Hunk's confirmations of the ones he'd personally witnessed between Lance and his siblings to get Allura and Coran to stop running every single test they could think on both the flesh and mechanical forms of the Lions to try and find out what was wrong.

"We're about to pull up, Fullmetal, Sir," Browning said, making Ed twist around in his seat, pushing Lance slightly to the side, as he looked through the windscreen to see the Bluebird Café coming up on their left.

"Awesome," Ed said as Browning pulled the car into a free space. "I'll only be a couple of minutes," Ed told them before he opened his door. He felt the two Lions ready themselves to follow him out but he turned around and held up his hand in the universal sign of 'stay'. "I don't think there's a need for you guys to come with me," Ed told them, speaking to all four other occupants of the back of the car. He felt the Lions' and saw the humans' disappointment but he didn't allow it to phase him. "You'll survive two minutes with Al and the sergeant for company," Ed told them before he left the car and shut the door.

Ignoring the glare from Al he could feel through the windshield of the car, Ed made his way into the café a few metres away. Waving off the waitress who immediately came to seat him, Ed searched the occupied tables until he found the one Lambert and her team were seated at. As he headed over to them, he pulled out the sketch that Armstrong had given him and smoothed out the creases he'd caused by folding the paper so it would fit in his pocket better. He returned the smiles he received when the table's occupants noticed him approaching.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me," Ed said as he plonked down in the empty chair next to Lambert at her silent insistence.

"It wasn't a problem, Edward," Lambert said, dropping the use of formality and professional tone she always addressed him with while on duty.

Ed gave her smile as he handed her the paper in his hands. "This is the sketch Major Armstrong did of Lotor for me," he told her as she took it from him. "He's about the same height as Mustang or General Armstrong, has long white hair and lavender coloured skin," Ed told them, "and he was wearing a form-fitting black suit that Voltron has confirmed is a type of armour. If he's smart, he'll keep wearing it since Voltron says that it's likely impervious to bullets or knife attacks and could possibly be fire-proof to a point but I can't guarantee that he won't be wearing something else that will cover up his skin colour," Ed warned them. As Ed spoke, the sketch made its way around the table until it finally ended back up in Ed's hands, until he promptly gave it back to Lambert.

"Lavender skin?" Greene asked and Ed gave the blonde-haired man a nod.

"Yeah," Ed confirmed. "Don't ask me how or why they've developed purple skin," Ed told them sternly when he noticed their perplexed looks. "I'm an alchemist, not a biologist. I have no idea why they would have evolved to have purple coloured skin. I assume there is some biological reason or environmental reason behind that but I wouldn't have a clue," Ed told them, shrugging a shoulder.

"What I'm more interested in is his armour," Lambert admitted. "If it is as Edward says and is impervious to guns or knife attacks, the military would benefit greatly from it. That is if we can study the material, of course," she added.

"I'm sure that we could probably give the uniform to the scientists in the new Fifth Laboratory to study, providing Lotor doesn't have an actual grenade on him and that he doesn't decide 'death before dishonour' is something he should live by," Ed promised her and she gave a satisfied nod. "Are there any other questions?" Ed asked the group.

"No, I don't think so," Lambert said, checking with each of her team before she spoke.

Ed pushed his chair back, making it scrape against the smooth cement floor lightly. "Then I'm gonna go," Ed told them, gesturing to the front door. "I'll see you guys later," he said, stepping to the side and pushing the chair back in.

"Bye, Ed. Thanks for bringing this to us," Lambert said, shifting the sketch of Lotor she held slightly. "Have a good weekend," she said with a genuine smile.

"See ya, Ed," Greene said while Simon raised his hand in a wave before Ed could say anything to Lambert.

"Later, Ed," Amaya said, giving him a wide smile and pairing it with a cheery wave.

"See you lot. Enjoy your days off," Ed told them with a smile that nearly matched Mason's.

With goodbyes now said, Ed left the table and headed for the door he'd entered through, nodding to the waitress who had tried to greet him as he left. He felt both Blue and Yellow perk up slightly as they realised he was now on his way back and he had a sneaking suspicion that one of the Lions had told their human, who likely had relayed the message to Al and Browning. Judging from the unsurprised expressions on both Al and Browning's faces, Ed was right.

Ed let out an annoyed grunt as someone barged into his shoulder, knocking him to the side slightly. Turning with the hit, Ed's eyes met the stranger's and two things happened instantaneously. The stranger's eyes widened almost comically with surprise and recognition and Ed realised he _knew_ who the stranger was. He'd seen a picture of him only that afternoon in Lambert's office and the team had told Ed that this man – Joseph Buckley – was wanted in connection with the assault of a State Alchemist in Central's western suburbs. Ed hadn't gotten all of the details since he'd needed to head for Armstrong's office but Greene had told him a little bit about the suspect.

Joseph Buckley had gotten into an altercation with the State Alchemist – a Major Travis Bentley, newly instated to the State Alchemist branch in the last round of state alchemy exams – outside of the major's home. His wife and four-year-old daughter had witnessed the assault and his wife had been the one to call the military police when Buckley managed to knock Bentley down to the ground. Buckley had fled when Mrs. Bentley had shouted that she was on the phone to the police in a desperate attempt to scar Buckley off before he could further hurt or kill her husband. Bentley was in the hospital with a broken cheek and eye socket and the file had landed on Greene's desk since Lambert and her team dealt with State Alchemists and any crimes involving State Alchemists – so long as the State Alchemist was the accused or the criminal had gone after the State Alchemist because of their title.

There was a single moment where neither Ed nor Buckley reacted once their eyes locked, too stunned at who the other was but that moment broke when Buckley took off, shoving a couple to the side roughly just as Ed reached out to grab him. "Dammit," Ed swore softly as he took off after him. He didn't even hear the car doors behind him opening up. "Greene! Lambert!" Ed shouted as he raced past the Bluebird Café in pursuit of Buckley. Ed barely registered the sound of chairs being scraped backwards in a hurry or the sound of multiple people running after him.

" _What's going on, Ed?"_ Blue asked as Ed turned left around the corner after Buckley, who was doing a rather impressive job of keeping enough distance between him and Ed that Ed couldn't afford to stop to use his alchemy – not that he would've considering the streets had too many people to make it safe for him to do so.

"A criminal one of Lambert's subordinates is in charge of finding literally bumped into me," Ed told her as he glared at the brown jacket on Buckley's back. "I'm chasing him down."

" _We know that part. We're behind you,"_ Blue informed him, a slight amount of amusement in her voice as she informed him of that.

An idea sparked in Ed's head. "Are both of you behind me?" he asked, not bothering to turn around to look for himself and he received two confirmations that the two Lions with the group were on his heels. "Get in front of me," he ordered before supressing a grin at their surprise. Despite their curiosity at his orders, soon enough a massive yellow and a slightly smaller blue blur soon passed him. "You're going to be very good at clearing the streets of everyone but Buckley," Ed explained.

" _I think you're absolutely right,"_ Yellow said as they watched the civilians on the street take in the sprinting Lions with bugged eyes and shrieks before they were ducking into the closest shop or moving in between parked cars.

Soon enough, Buckley was the only one still on the street and Ed grinned as he came to a complete stop. Clapping his hands, he slammed them into the footpath and blue energy raced the two Lions before it managed to get in front of Buckley before he made it to the end of the block. "This is gonna hurt," Ed said, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he formed an earthen wall that Buckley had no hope of avoiding. The sound Buckley made when he slammed into the wall full force made Ed wince a little but, ultimately, Buckley had no one to blame but himself for any injury he suffered.

"Both of you are welcome to hold him down until we get there," Ed told the Lions and grinned widely when he felt their excitement at the prospect. He straightened out of the crouch he had been in as both Lions closed the distance between them and Buckley and Ed almost laughed out loud when he saw Buckley jump almost a foot in the air when he looked up from where he sat clutching his nose to find two Lions standing menacingly over him.

" _Dios_ , Ed. I forgot how quick you were," Lance said, causing Ed to nearly jump at the sound of his slightly breathless voice. He'd completely forgotten that he'd had multiple people as well as the Lions following him as he chased Buckley down.

"Be thankful he even bothered to call for back up, even if it wasn't us," Al said, throwing Ed a heatless glare that Ed just ignored.

"If you're gonna bitch, you can wait here," Ed told them before he turned to Greene. "That's Joseph Buckley," Ed told him, nodding with his head to the figure cowering under the gaze of the Lions.

"You're kidding," Greene said, mouth gaping slightly as he stared at the man. "We only identified him like an hour before you dropped into the office!'

"Yeah, Brother has an uncanny ability to run into wanted criminals. Literally," Al said dryly.

"That's enough of that," Ed said, shoving Al slightly. "Let's go arrest him," Ed said before he started lightly jogging towards Buckley and the two Lions. Lambert, Mason, Greene, and Simon followed him immediately while Al led Lance and Hunk at a slower pace since they weren't really needed for the actual arrest. "Good job, you two," Ed said, ruffling the ears of both Lions once he'd reached them.

"Do you want the arrest, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric?" Lambert asked, her professional tone firmly in place but Ed shook his head.

"Nah, he's all yours," Ed told her as he dealt with the wall he'd created to stop Buckley.

"Joseph Buckley, you're under arrest for the aggravated assault of Major Travis Bentley. You have the right –"

"Wait, Major who?" Buckley asked, his confused tone slightly garbled due to the fact that he was now sporting an impressively fat lip and very broken nose.

Lambert wasn't impressed with having been interrupted while reading the injured man his rights and Greene didn't look all that impressed by Buckley as he helped him stand so he could cuff him. "Major Travis Bentley. The State Alchemist you assaulted two nights ago in front of his home while his wife and four-year-old daughter watched," Lambert said curtly. She wasn't the only one to look a little taken aback when Buckley's face drained of any remaining colour.

"No, that's not right," Buckley said, half whispering to himself. "I attacked that bastard, Blake Stefan, not some State Alchemist," he mumbled, apparently unaware he was even talking out loud.

"2nd Lieutenant Blake Stefan?" Mason asked, obviously recognising the name, and Buckley jumped slightly before he nodded.

"Yes, him. He's been sleeping with my girlfriend for weeks and she fell pregnant with his child. I found out two days ago and decided to try and drown my feelings at the Amestrian Port," Buckley explained and Ed felt his eyebrows raise slowly in disbelief. "I knew where Stefan lived – the bastard was my best friend before this – so I decided to find him and get my retribution," Buckley said. " _That's_ who I attacked. I don't even know any Travis Bentley," Buckley told them, obviously expecting one of them to say they'd misidentified the victim.

"No, two nights ago at approximately 10:00pm, you approached Major Travis Bentley as he crossed the footpath from his car to his home on Gill Street and you instigated a fight. His wife had just opened the front door so their daughter could go out to greet him when you threw the first punch. She grabbed their daughter and called the police while you continued to attack Major Bentley," Lambert informed him stonily. Buckley's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief and he gaped at Lambert while she spoke. "You ran when Mrs. Bentley yelled that she was on the phone to the police and Major Bentley was hospitalised with extensive injuries to his face," Lambert told him.

"Oh," Buckley gasped out. "Stefan lives on Brown Street." Ed wasn't sure whether he wanted to facepalm or punch Buckley with the revelation that a State Alchemist was in hospital and his family traumatised all because Buckley got drunk and went down Gill Street rather than Brown Street, which was the next street up from Gill Street. "Did I really hurt a State Alchemist?" Buckley asked, his voice nearly a whimper and his eyes welled with tears.

"Okay, I'm not listening to him anymore," Ed said, interrupting anything anyone else was about to say. "We've gotta go," he told Lambert as he gestured to the group with him. "Good luck with this one," Ed said, waving a hand at the entirety of Buckley, who was now almost completely being held up by Greene and Simon as he started crying lightly.

"Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Lambert said. Ed almost laughed at the ripple of displeasure that crossed her face when she glanced at Buckley again.

"No worries. Sorry I'm making you guys go back into the office this afternoon though," Ed said with a small grin that only grew when Lambert sighed before she waved his apology off.

"No need to be," she said. "I'd rather have my afternoon interrupted like this then find out he'd attacked someone else over the weekend," she told him and Ed gave a nod of understanding.

"See you later, guys," Ed said, pairing his words with a wave before he turned to the others. "Let's get back to Browning," Ed suggested, intending to lead the way back to the café they'd left Browning parked in front of but Al shook his head.

"No need," Al said, pointing to a car that was idling nearby. "Sergeant Browning followed us," he said with a small smile.

"Well that makes life a bit easier," Ed said, causing both Lance and Hunk to chuckle slightly. Lambert was now re-reading Buckley his rights but Ed paid no attention to her as he led everyone towards the waiting car. For a fleeting moment he thought he saw Generals Combes and Widdon standing on the footpath opposite them, glaring at the Lions but when Ed looked back up to double-check, he could see no signs of them. Shaking it off as his imagination, Ed focused back on watching where he was going. "Thanks, Sergeant Browning," Ed said as he grinned at the man who was now climbing out of the car to greet them as protocol dictated he should.

"It was no problem, Fullmetal, Sir," Browning said, dropping his half-raised hand when Ed glared at it before he could complete the salute. "Congratulations on taking down that criminal, Sir," Browning offered with a smile that Ed returned before he sighed long-sufferingly.

"He could've just saved me the trouble and stayed put but no, he had to be an idiot and make me chase him," Ed grumbled before his grin was back in place. "At least we got some entertainment today," he said cheerily as he waited for everyone to climb back into the car. He could see the civilians who had panicked at the sight of the Lions racing towards them peeking around doors or through windows or over the cars they'd chosen as shields, watching the Lions warily but Ed decided not to bother commenting or acknowledging the behaviour. They'd realise rather quickly that they had never been in danger from the Lions and if any of them did protest the Lions being loose on the street, Ed would be able to handle it with a few pointed sentences.

"Where to now, Fullmetal?" Browning asked, obviously choosing not to comment on Ed's last statement, which Al seemed to approve of, if the look in his eyes was any indication.

"You know where Mustang lives, right?" Ed asked and Browning nodded. "We're heading there, Sergeant," Ed told him and Browning gave a single nod of confirmation.

"I'll have you there in ten minutes, Sir," Browning told him confidently and Ed had no doubts the sergeant would manage to keep his promise.

"I'm sure the others will want to hear about our delay in full detail so keep your questions until then," Ed instructed, looking at both Lions and Lance pointedly.

" _Fine,"_ Blue grumbled as Lance gave Ed a sheepish grin.

" _But you'll be answering any question the moment we're in Mustang's house,"_ Yellow informed him, leaving no room for argument.

"I promise," Ed swore and both Lions huffed in acceptance. With everyone sated for the moment, Ed allowed himself to sink back into the seat so he could enjoy the calm before the possible storm he knew was coming.

* * *

"Thanks, Browning," Ed said, standing near the driver's side door of the car that now had its window wound down so the sole occupant could hear and talk to Ed.

"It wasn't a problem, Fullmetal, Sir," Browning said. "Have a good night, Sir."

"You as well, Sergeant," Ed said, giving the man a wave as he stepped away from the car to join the five others with him. Browning gave him a nod before he pulled the car back into the street and drove back towards Central Command.

Ed noted the truck they'd borrowed from Eastern Command before he gestured for the others to follow him to the front door. Before they managed to get to the door though, it opened to reveal an amused looking Flame Alchemist. Ed could Black, Red and Green's own amusement through his bond and he raised a questioning brow at the man currently blocking their way into his house.

"Did you really help Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and her team capture a wanted criminal?" Mustang asked and Ed felt his confusion instantly leave him. Mustang couldn't stop his lips twitching upwards into a smirk when Ed scowled at his amused tone. "Get inside and explain what happened this time, Fullmetal. We're rather curious to hear how this take down managed to happen when you were only supposed to be dropping off a sketch."

"How many times do I gotta say that it's not my fault criminals are idiots?" Ed asked heatedly as the blue and yellow pair walked into the house while Al patted Ed's shoulder mockingly. Mustang's grin only grew as he followed the rest, leaving Ed to scowl at him as he shut the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to those of you who left comments last week! I really appreciated them and I'd absolutely love to see more this week! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! See you all next week!


	19. Chapter 19

Once Ed had managed to shut the door, he followed the retreating form of Mustang through to his outdoor entertainment area. It hadn't existed when Widdon and Combes had raided his house while Mustang was in the holding cell but after their first couple of lessons, Mustang had noticed that Ed preferred studying his alchemic notes and research in the sunshine and fresh air so he'd bought himself a small outdoor table with four matching chairs. When Ed had queried their sudden appearance at his third lesson, Mustang had simply waved it off as him wanting to utilise every chance he had to spend time in the sunshine since his chances were far and few between after his promotion. Despite how good their relationship was, there was no way in hell Mustang was going to admit he'd bought the outdoor setting mainly for Ed's use.

Somehow though, word had made it to his team about the outdoor setting and Mustang had found himself upgrading it to fit ten people when his team had decided he would be hosting one of their rare team dinners. He'd never done so before because of his lack of seating but Havoc had pointed out how easy it would be for Ed or Al to alchemise another table or two to the one he'd bought and that he'd be able to find more chairs easily enough. Mustang had grunted in acknowledgement of his 1st lieutenant's words before ordering him back to work but not even a fortnight after the comment, Mustang found himself doing as Havoc had suggested. Ed had been bemused but didn't argue when Mustang asked him to fuse the three identical table together before he started his next lesson.

To Ed's knowledge, the outdoor entertainment area had only been used to its full potential once – at which time Havoc had barely survived informing Mustang that his decision to add a barbeque had been a wise one since it seemed to be the only cooking method that Mustang could use that didn't send them home with food poisoning – but it appeared that Mustang's team and Voltron had decided it was time for it to be used by a large group for a second time. Yellow and Blue had apparently decided their small spat in the car wasn't worth following up on since they were now resting near their sisters instead of using the backyard to fight. Lance and Hunk had decided to leave the seats that were spare for someone else and plonked down on a patch of grass close to the table and their Lions. Pidge had decided to join them and Ed watched as Al slipped into the seat she'd vacated before anyone else could take it.

"Where's Fuery?" Ed asked, a crease in his brow as he realised the second youngest member of Mustang's team was missing.

"He's picking up Gracia and Elysia so they can join us," Mustang told him as he took the empty seat next to Hawkeye's left. "So what happened this afternoon?" Mustang asked, watching Ed as he took the empty seat in between Mustang and Shiro.

"Nothing major," Ed said. "The person that was suspected of attacking Major Bentley bumped into me when I left the café I met Lambert and the others in. I recognised him because Greene had been tasked with finding him and had shown me his picture when the six of us –" Ed gestured to himself, Al and the blue and yellow pairs "- dropped by their office on the way to see Major Armstrong," Ed told them. "So I recognised him, he recognised me and instead of just giving up, he took off. I called for Lambert and Greene to back me up and the others decided to join in on the chase," Ed recounted. "I had Blue and Yellow take the lead in the chase since I figured – and was right – that the people on the streets would get out of our way far quicker. When the street was clear of everyone except the suspect, I stopped and threw up an earthen wall that he wouldn't have any time to dodge and he slammed straight into it," Ed said, a slightly vindictive smirk on his face. "Blue and Yellow held him down until Lambert and the others had caught up with me and could arrest him. Once they had him in custody, we found Sergeant Browning and he dropped us off here," Ed wrapped up.

"That's it?" Mustang asked disbelievingly. Ed didn't look impressed with his tone but he nodded. "Then why did Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert sound a little annoyed when she spoke with me?" Mustang asked.

"Actually, that reminds me. Why did she call you? There was no way she'd managed to escort and drop off Buckley that quickly," Ed asked, changing the subject.

"She was unaware that you weren't on a deadline to be here so she called to let me know that you'd been held up and were on your way. She managed to give me a brief report before she had to finish dealing with the suspect," Mustang told him. "You still haven't answered my question," he pointed out when Ed's confusion had cleared but the blonde made no move to speak.

"I dunno," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder. "The only thing at the scene that she didn't seem impressed by was Buckley telling her that Bentley hadn't been his intended victim," Ed said thoughtfully. "She could've still been irked by that, I suppose," Ed told him.

"He attacked the wrong person?" Pidge asked from where she sat against her Lion. "How the heck does that even happen?!" she exclaimed, looking thoroughly perplexed at the very thought.

Ed shrugged a shoulder again. "He was half-drunk because his girlfriend got pregnant to his best friend and he decided to teach said best friend a lesson. Unfortunately for Bentley, Buckley's best friend was also military and lived a street away. Because of how drunk he was, Buckley went down the wrong street and stumbled upon Bentley, who was still in his uniform, and mixed the two up," Ed told her.

"I don't blame Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert for being irritated," Mustang said after a couple of moments silence followed Ed's explanation.

Ed snorted softly in response to that statement but before he or anyone else for that matter could say anything, the Lions' ears flicked forward as they listened with interest to something only they could hear. It didn't take long for Ed and Al to pick up on the noise either. "Sounds like Sergeant Fuery is back," Ed said as he heard the slight whine of the car's brakes as it pulled up outside Mustang's house.

"We should probably head Elysia off, unless Sergeant Fuery warned them about the Lions?" Al asked, looking to Mustang as he and Ed stood from their chairs.

"I never instructed Sergeant Fuery to do so but I never told him to keep it from them," Mustang told him, joining the two blondes in standing. "Better safe than sorry. I don't think Gracia would forgive us for scaring Elysia, no matter how accidental it was," he said.

Though she had yet to reach Maes' heights of protective nature when it came to her daughter, Gracia had her moments – like when she'd left Elysia in the Elrics' care for a day while she tore nearly every teacher, parent and the principal of Elysia's school a new one for the way Elysia was treated when Mustang was in the holding cells. The few times Ed and/or Al had joined Gracia in dropping or picking Elysia up from school had shown that those who had been subjected to Gracia's wrath were still wary of the usually placid woman. It was a source of amusement to the brothers since Elysia was oblivious and Gracia pretended not to notice the behaviour as she kissed Elysia's cheek, though both boys knew Gracia silently relished the reactions she still received. As far as Gracia was concerned, it was worth the wary glances and overly cautious behaviour towards her if it meant Elysia or any other child wouldn't have to go through what her daughter did.

"We'll be back in a minute," Ed told the Lions telepathically as he, Mustang and Al headed inside.

" _You better be. We want to meet the rest of your family,"_ Blue said, looking at the open back door excitedly.

Ed almost froze when she said 'family' but he managed to stop that instinct and just give Blue a smile before he hurried to catch up with the others, hoping no one had noticed his little moment. Mustang was at the front door already and speaking with Fuery – proving them correct about who had turned up. Fuery gave him a nod before he entered the house, smiling at both Ed and Al – who were waiting a few feet away from the door so as not to block it – and the boys returned the smile easily.

"Had no troubles?" Ed asked and Fuery shook his head.

"No, General Mustang had the foresight to call Mrs. Hughes after you left to speak with Major Armstrong that she and Elysia were invited over," Fuery told him.

"What you mean is that Miss Riza told Mustang that just dropping by and springing the invite on Miss Gracia wasn't a good idea so he called her, right?" Ed asked, earning himself a scowl from Mustang, a long-suffering sigh from Al and a grin from Fuery – all of which told him he was right. "Everyone else is out the back if you wanna go join them," Ed told him, his smug grin still on his lips.

"I think I'll do that," Fuery said before he moved towards the entertainment area.

"What's all that, Gracia?" Mustang's query brought Ed and Al's attention back to him and Ed almost laughed when he saw Gracia almost throw an armful of containers into Mustang's arms.

"Next time give me some more warning you want to host a dinner," Gracia scolded. "Half an hour is _not_ enough time for me to pull together food fit for a dinner party!" Gracia informed him, moving her armful so it was cradled in one arm as the other was raised so she had a threatening finger pointed in his face.

"You didn't have –" Mustang started saying as he struggled with the containers Gracia had forced him to take.

"Roy, I may love you like family but if you tried cooking anything, you would give us food poisoning and Elysia and I can't afford to be away from work and school right now," Gracia told him, patting his cheek kindly with the hand that had been raised in warning just moments ago.

Ed couldn't hold back his laughter and neither could Al at the expression on Mustang's face and Gracia seemed to realise they were in the room for the first time. "Miss Gracia, you are my favourite person, hands down," Ed said, wheezing slightly as he fought to stop his laughter.

"Edward, Alphonse!" Gracia greeted with a warm smile. "I'd wondered if the two of you would be here already," she said, making a move as though she was going to walk towards them when something outside caught her attention. "Have you got both shoes on yet, Elysia?" Gracia asked, obviously speaking to the little girl who was still out of sight.

"Yes, Mama," Elysia said, though she sounded a little further away than Ed expected.

Gracia, upon noticing Ed and Al's frowns, decided to clear up their confusion. "She didn't get the chance to pull her shoes on before we left so she put them on in the car. When we pulled up, I realised she'd put them on the wrong feet. She stayed in the car while she corrected the mistake," Gracia explained and both boys' brows cleared.

"Why don't I take those from you, Miss Gracia?" Al suggested, moving forward to do just that. "Brother and General Mustang have something to tell you about, assuming Sergeant Fuery didn't mention anything," Al explained.

"It has something to do with the rumours that have been flying around Central the last couple of days, doesn't it?" Gracia asked as she handed the Tupperware over to Alphonse. "The Lions and strangers?"

"Yes, it does," Mustang said just as Elysia joined the group.

"Hi, Uncle Roy! Hi, big brother Al! Hi, big brother Ed!" Elysia squealed in greeting, moving so she could glomp onto Mustang only to realise his arms were full of containers.

"Hey, El," Ed said, getting her attention and – once she realised his arms were empty – found himself with an armful of six-year-old. "Did you behave yourself while we were away?' he asked and the small blonde gave an enthusiastic nod.

"I did!" she assured him. "But how come we're having dinner at Uncle Roy's instead-a at home? Mama says Uncle Roy's not allowed ta cook 'cuz he makes people sick," Elysia said, leaning back slightly in Ed's hold so she could peer at everyone.

"You," Ed said, looking at her as though she held the answers to the universe, "are my favourite person in the whole world now. Sorry, Miss Gracia," Ed said, glancing at the woman who was looking at Mustang with nothing but amusement on her face as she took in how red Mustang's was. Elysia was absolutely delighted at Ed's words, even if she didn't truly understand what she'd done to have Ed claim that.

"I think I'm okay with my daughter usurping my spot," Gracia said, patting Ed's cheek once she was close enough. "So what news do you have to share with us?" Gracia asked, looking over at Mustang.

"Fullmetal can tell you," Mustang grumbled – though Ed would later call it sulking, which Mustang would vehemently deny – before he headed for the kitchen, an amused Al in tow.

"Spoilsport," Ed muttered at Mustang's back. "Anyway, what have you heard?" Ed asked, turning to Gracia.

"Just that Central and Fuhrer Grumman would be playing host to ten diplomatic guests, five of which are large, coloured Lions," Gracia said, brow raising knowingly.

"They sound just like your Lion friends, big brother! The ones in your mind!" Elysia exclaimed, tapping his temple gently.

"That's because they are, El," Ed told her, giving her a smile. "They turned up alongside a criminal from their world on our second night in Ishval," Ed said, speaking more to Gracia. "It's just the Lions and their Paladins so no space princess or crazy space uncle," Ed said, this time speaking more to Elysia. "We're gonna help them find the person who came into our world with them and they'll go home when Allura and Pidge's family figure out how to get them back," Ed explained switching back to Gracia.

"Are you all okay?" Gracia asked, now raking her eyes over Ed's form as if she could ascertain any injuries he might have been hiding. To Ed's slight bemusement, Elysia started prodding his face and shoulders gently, obviously mimicking the couple of times she'd seen Al, Havoc or a nurse check any injuries Ed had.

"I'm fine, Miss Gracia," Ed told her. "There was a scuffle between me, a couple of the Lions, Den and the criminal while we were in Resembool but Lance and Hunk had grabbed their medkits from Blue and Yellow before they shifted. Lance treated the cuts I got and they're practically healed," Ed said. Gracia pursed her lips as she kept eye contact with Ed, trying to see if he was lying just to placate her before she realised he was telling the truth.

"I hope I cooked enough for them all," Gracia said, frowning in the direction of the kitchen. "Where are they all going to sleep? Is that why we're here?" Gracia asked and Ed couldn't keep the grin off his face. Trust the Hughes matriarch to immediately start fussing about sleeping arrangements and whether there was enough food now that she was certain no one was hurt.

"Actually, Fuhrer Grumman has asked if you were willing to house four of them? Two teams," Ed said. "The military's offered to pay you a stipend if you are. You've just gotta keep your receipts for anything you buy them while they're under your roof," Ed told her.

"Of course I can," Gracia told him. "They'll have to make do with the couches though. Unless you boys are willing to give up your beds," Gracia said.

"I'll talk to them and Al and figure it out," Ed told her and she gave him a nod, willing to leave it in their hands.

"I take it they're outside?" Gracia asked, gesturing towards the entertainment area and Ed gave her a nod.

"Yes, but," Ed said, turning his face so he was looking at Elysia, who had been silently listening to her mother and brother's conversation, "do you remember how I described the Lions?" Ed asked the young girl.

"Yeah," Elysia said, putting a finger to her chin as she thought about it. "You said they were _really_ big and _really_ colourful and _really_ nice," Elysia said, stressing each 'really' and making both Ed and Gracia chuckle at her.

"That's right," Ed said. "Now they're outside and you might be a little scared when you see how big they are and that's alright," Ed told her, squeezing her slightly, "but remember that I'm there and so's your other big brother, your mum, and your uncle and that the Lions are really friendly," Ed told her.

"And remember that it's okay if it takes you a while to warm up to any of them," Gracia said, stepping forward and pressing a hand to Elysia's cheek.

"Okay, Mama, big brother," Elysia said, chewing her lip a little. Ed didn't like the fact that he and Gracia had made her a little nervous but Ed didn't want her to be scared when she saw just how big the Lions actually were. Though there were dozens of photos on his tablet, Ed knew from Al that the pictures didn't really do them justice. "Can we go and meet them now?" she asked and Ed nodded.

"I think that's a good idea," Ed told her. "Do you wanna walk yourself or am I carrying you, princess?" Ed asked her.

"Can you carry me, please?" Elysia asked, putting on her best puppy-dog eyes that had Ed rolling his.

"I did offer, didn't I?" Ed said, poking her lightly in the side with his left hand. "Are you ready, Miss Gracia?" Ed asked and the blonde woman gave him a small, warm smile and nod.

"Let's go meet more of your inter-dimensional friends," Gracia said, a slightly exasperated tone in her voice, as though she couldn't believe they were about to meet more of Ed's friends and the blonde alchemist couldn't fault her for it. He sometimes didn't believe it either and the Lions had rarely left him alone in the time they'd been in his dimension.

Ed led the way, though Gracia was practically at his side. They paused in the kitchen so Gracia could make sure that Mustang and Al had put everything that needed to be in the fridge in it, something that made Ed chuckle slightly before they continued on their way to the entertainment area. If Ed hadn't been holding Elysia on his right side so her hands were resting on the left side of his neck, he may have missed her tensing slightly. Wrapping his left hand up around her waist, Ed gave her a small, confidence-bolstering hug before they turned the corner and stepped through the back door.

"This is Elysia and Gracia Hughes," Ed said the moment Voltron's attention was on the two strangers. "These are Shiro, Lance, Keith, Hunk and Pidge," Ed said, pointing to each person in turn and waited for the nod from Elysia before he pointed to the next person, continuing until all five Paladins had been introduced, "and these are their Lions," Ed said before going through the same motions with the Lions, making sure Elysia was sure of each of them before he moved on.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Gracia said, bowing slightly before she straightened, a polite, pleasant smile on her face. "My daughter and I have heard many stories about all of you." At the reference to her, Elysia hid her face a little more into Ed's neck, even as she kept one eye on the strangers.

"The pleasure is ours, Mrs. Hughes," Shiro said, moving to rise from his seat only to stop when Gracia indicated for him to stay seated.

"Just 'Gracia' is fine," the blonde woman offered, her smile warming a little more in the face of Shiro's manners.

"Gracia, then," Shiro acquiesced easily.

Al pulled Gracia into a conversation about what she'd made to bring with her and Ed took the opportunity to talk with Elysia. "Are you going to keep doing your barnacle impression with me?" Ed asked her.

Elysia giggled softly and Ed saw more than one pair of ears flick forward as the Lions picked up on the noise. "Yes," she told him, emphasising her point by clinging a little tighter to him.

"Okay, in that case, you have two choices," Ed told her, keeping his voice low. "You can sit with me at the table and meet the Lions and everyone one by one or we can sit on your uncle's lawn near the Lions and meet them one by one while they're relaxing," Ed said. He knew Gracia could hear them since they weren't talking low enough for someone only half a metre away to not hear them but the older Hughes continued her conversation with Al, which now included a slightly pouting Mustang and amused team as his non-existent cooking skills were brought up yet again.

Elysia seemed to really debate her choices, even humming lightly in contemplation as she thought them over. "Can we sit on the grass?" she finally asked and Ed gave her a nod only after glancing at Gracia and getting a small nod from her in permission.

"Sure. Where do you wanna sit?" he asked her. There were a few moments of silence where she looked over at the lawn and everyone who was gathered on it before she pointed to an empty spot just off to the right of everyone who was seated on the lawn. "Alrighty. That's where we'll go," Ed said, more for Gracia's benefit than anyone else's.

Ed could feel Gracia's eyes on him as he carried Elysia to the spot she'd indicated to. The Lions were watching in avid interest and Ed was quick to realise why. They had likely never met someone smaller in size than Pidge and certainly not a human who was younger than the Green Paladin. The small person in his arms was likely as intriguing to them as they were to her. It took a bit of work but Ed eventually got Elysia settled in his lap while he sat cross-legged within arm's reach of Lance. Her back was pressed against his chest and her legs were stretched over Ed's crossed ones while his flesh arm stayed loosely wrapped around her waist and he supported his weight on his right arm, which was stretched out behind him.

"Who do you wanna meet first?" Ed asked, feeling the Lions' excitement about meeting the small child with him. It made him grin a little at how the Lions were reacting to Elysia.

" _Can you blame us? She's so small and adorable! Look at how she's cuddled into you because she knows you'll protect her!"_ Yellow exclaimed, making Hunk and – to a lesser degree simply because he was used to this kind of thing from a lot of people – Ed jump in shock. _"She's just precious,"_ Yellow told them and Ed swore he saw her eyes soften even more as she looked at Elysia.

"Can I meet Blue first?" Elysia asked, whispering her question into Ed's ear.

Ed gave a nod and gestured for Blue both through their bond and with his flesh hand so Gracia – who was keeping a careful eye on the two of them even though she was speaking with Hawkeye – could see who Elysia asked to meet. Blue got to her feet, dislodging Lance slightly as she did so and made her way over to the pair. "So this is Blue. She's Lance's Lion," Ed reminded Elysia, who nodded as she stared at Blue with wide eyes. "Blue, this is Elysia," Ed said, introducing the Lion to the little girl.

" _Do you know why she wanted to meet me first? And please tell her that I am honoured to meet your little sister,"_ Blue asked as she settled down on her stomach once more, front paws tucking slightly under Elysia's left leg as she got herself as low as possible so the young girl could pat her.

"Blue says she honoured to meet mine and Al's little sister," Ed told Elysia dutifully, who flushed a little at the words. "You're allowed to pat them, if you want, El," Ed told her when the young girl made no move to do so despite the fact that Ed could see she wanted to. "I'm not sure –" Ed started saying to Blue – using their bond to do so – as Elysia allowed herself to scratch Blue's ears when Elysia said something he almost missed.

"Your fur is my daddy's favourite colour blue," Elysia said, her eyes wide as she stroked the colour she was talking about.

The effect of her words was immediate and obvious to everyone except for Elysia, who was still patting Blue while taking in her colouring almost reverently. Ed straightened up from his lean and squeezed Elysia a little tighter with both arms while a saddened air fell over those at the table. Al squeezed Gracia's arm, to which she replied with a small smile as she covered his hand with her free one and patted it a couple of times. Mustang simply gave a small nod to the concerned look Hawkeye allowed herself to send her boss' way before she wiped it off her face. Shiro was watching Ed with worry in his eyes, the only one of the Paladins to actually know about Ed's guilt over Hughes' death.

"Blue says your dad had excellent taste in colours and would like me to thank you for the compliment," Ed told Elysia, his voice a touch softer than it ordinarily would be when he spoke to her as he passed along Blue's message. He cleared his throat lightly before he forced his tone into something a little cheerier. "Alright, who do you want to meet next?" Ed asked. Before Elysia could answer, Blue let out a pitiful whine before she rolled onto her side, though she did make sure Elysia's hand stayed on her head. Ed raised an amusement brow at her antics, though he did make sue he sent a wave of gratefulness through the bond as her protests lightened the mood and made Elysia giggle. "She has to meet everyone, Blue. I'm sure she'll give you more pats later," Ed told her firmly.

" _You're so mean,"_ Blue grumbled.

"I'll give you pats later, Blue," Elysia promised, scratching Blue behind the ear and Ed watched in amusement as the Lion damn near melted where she lay.

"You can come cuddle with me all you want while you wait, gorgeous," Lance told his Lion, watching the scene with amusement and a soft happiness.

The promise of pats from Elysia later and cuddles from her favourite human in the meantime was not enough to stop Blue from grumbling in both Ed and Lance's minds as she pulled herself up to her feet. She pressed her forehead to Ed's before she nuzzled Elysia's cheek, making the young girl giggle a little. Giving them both a small huff, Blue made her way over to her pilot's side before she collapsed gracelessly onto Lance – making him gasp as her weight hit him – before he wrapped his arms around Blue and gave her the promised cuddles.

"Okay, who's next, El?" Ed asked, shaking his head slightly at Blue's behaviour.

"Green, please," Elysia said, voice a little more confident than it had been when she asked for Blue.

As Ed had done with Blue, he summoned Green over with a call through their bond and a physical gesture. Green didn't hesitate and Pidge was quicker than Lance had been to make sure she didn't end up on her back because of the lack of support. As Blue had done, Green got down onto her belly and crawled the last few inches to Elysia's hand, inviting the young girl to pat her, which she readily did now that she knew the Lions didn't mind.

The introduction had gone smoother than Blue's had, with Elysia telling Green that her colouring was almost the same shade as her best friend's eyes – something the young girl was delighted in and had her exclaim that she couldn't wait to tell her all about it. Ed met Gracia and Mustang's eyes and knew they knew that someone would have to sit down with Elysia later that night to make sure the little girl knew what she could and couldn't tell her friends regarding the Lions when she was back at school next week. Finally, they wrapped up the introduction with Green and Ed knew that the only reason Green didn't put up a fuss – even if she made sure to pout so Elysia knew she didn't want to leave just yet – was because she wanted to show Blue up. The Lion in question definitely noticed and swatted Green's ears when she re-joined her human.

Red was up next and realised pretty quickly what order Elysia was going in. She'd started with Blue solely because of her colour but now she was working up from the smallest Lion to the largest which meant that if Ed was right, Black would be next before Yellow got her turn. Though strictly speaking, Black was the tallest and should've rightfully been the last up, Ed knew that Yellow looked bigger than her oldest sister. He could feel Yellow's anxiousness to meet Elysia – Ed wasn't too sure what had actually endeared the Yellow Lion to the six-year-old in his lap but he resolved to find out later – so he told the Lion his theory about the order. She didn't seem happy but she accepted Elysia's system with no complaints.

Because of his talk with Yellow, he'd almost missed Elysia's remark to him about his trademark jacket matched Red's coat. Ed had chuckled and agreed with her that his jacket and the darkest red of Lion's coat did indeed match before he introduced the two properly and Red allowed Elysia to give her a pat. Once the two were properly acquainted, Red went back to lay between Black and the chair Keith was sitting on. As Ed thought she would, Elysia asked to meet Black next and the requested Lion got to her feet. Ed saw Elysia's eyes widen in surprise at how much bigger she was in comparison to the three others.

"She's the leader and eldest of Voltron," Ed whispered to Elysia as Black approached them. "This is Black," Ed said, once the Lion was in the same position as her three previous sisters had been. "Black, this is Elysia," Ed said to Black.

" _It's wonderful to meet you, Elysia,"_ Black said, which Ed repeated for the young girl, while Black tried to coax Elysia into patting her by given her the best kitten eyes she could pull off, switching between looking at Elysia's hand and in her eyes.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Black," Elysia said, her previous nervousness brought up by the significant size difference between Black and Red gone now that niceties had been exchanged and Elysia was sure Black wouldn't mind being petted.

" _Are you alright, Ed?"_ Black asked as she allowed herself to lap up the attentions of the child in Ed's lap. _"We all felt what you did when Elysia made that comment about Blue's colour."_

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ed told her, keeping the conversation silent. "It just took me by surprise. I think it took all of us by surprise. Elysia doesn't normally mention her dad in front of us and she's never brought him up like that with strangers," Ed told her.

" _Why?"_ Black asked, confused. From the way they'd seen the Hughes family interact with one another while Ed was in the room, Gracia had never once asked Elysia to stop mentioning her father when the opportunity presented itself.

"We don't know," Ed told her honestly. "Miss Gracia has never asked her not to. In fact, she usually encourages Elysia to talk about Hughes, especially at home but for some reason she's never brought him up in public," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder lightly and trying to hide the internal freak-out he found himself in because he'd just realised that he'd called the Hughes' apartment home. Not only that, but he'd called it that while in a conversation with someone else and he had never once admitted to himself, let alone anyone else, that he felt like the apartment he and Al lived in while in Central with Gracia and Elysia was now his home. He hadn't even admitted that was something he thought to Alphonse. Quickly clearing his mind of those thoughts, Ed spoke again. "Alright, it's Yellow's turn and then you've met all of them!"

Black gave Ed a look that told him there would be a talk in his future as she got to her feet. Ed found himself fervently hoping that Lotor would manage to cause them enough problems soon so the head of Voltron would forget what she'd gleamed from his thoughts. Once Black was back in her spot between Red and Shiro's chair, Ed gestured for Yellow to come over but only once he reminded her that running towards the two of them would not look like her expressing her excitement to Elysia. A sheepish feeling flooded through their bond and Ed snorted softly when he felt Yellow force herself to approach them calmly.

"Elysia, this is Yellow," Ed said as the Lion army crawled the last few inches and shoved her head under the surprised Elysia's hand. "She's Hunk's Lion," Hunk helpfully waved and Elysia gave him a shy wave back, "and she is very, _very_ excited to meet you," Ed told Elysia without needing Yellow to ask him too.

"Why?" Elysia asked, looking at Yellow with obvious bewilderment even as she continued to give her pats.

"Well, none of the Lions had ever met a human before they met their pilots," Ed explained, "and the youngest one of them is Pidge and she's 15," Ed told her, getting a nod of agreement from the Green Paladin when he looked at her questioningly. "You're the youngest human they know and they've seen a lot of my memories with you in them. They were all really excited to meet you but Yellow is the most excited because she thinks you're very precious," Ed told her before laughing when Elysia squealed in embarrassment and hid her face in his chest. Ed spotted more than Gracia's soft, amused smile as he steadied both him and Elysia.

Yellow looked completely perplexed by Elysia's behaviour. _"Did I do something wrong? Is she okay?"_ Yellow asked fretfully.

"She's alright. She's just embarrassed because she's not used to such honest compliments from strangers," Ed reassured Yellow and watched as she relaxed slightly at his words.

Elysia turned slightly so she could peek at Yellow before she mumbled something that not even the Lion's superior hearing could pick up. A pointed but gentle poke to Elysia's ribs from Ed had her twisting a little more so her words could be heard when she repeated them. "Thank you, Yellow," Elysia said, her cheeks still bright red and Ed swore he saw Yellow's eyes melt even more.

" _Tell her she's welcome right this minute,"_ Yellow ordered and Ed obliged. He even managed to keep his laughter out of his voice – a feat he was very proud of.

"Can Blue come back for more pats?" Elysia asked, even as she started patting Yellow's ears once more. Ed saw Blue's head perk up immediately.

"How about we let Yellow go back to the group and once she's settled, we'll join them and you can pat whoever you want?" Ed suggested instead.

"Okay, big brother!" Elysia said, smiling excitedly at the idea of being in the middle of the Lions now that any of the wariness she felt because of them had completely disappeared thanks to the careful introductions.

Yellow didn't waste any time in getting up and taking back her previous spot behind Hunk, though this time she was facing Blue so that Elysia wouldn't have to choose between who would get ear scratches first. Ed chuckled at her as she settled behind Hunk, allowing him to sit back against her before she looked at Ed and Elysia expectantly. Not wanting to see how irritated Yellow or Blue could get with him, Ed helped Elysia stand before he got to his own feet and led her over to the group. Choosing the spot against Blue that Lance had obviously left open for him, Ed sat down next to the Blue Paladin and mimicked him in leaning against his Lion. Elysia seemed torn between sitting on Ed once more or sitting between the two Lions before she realised Yellow was close enough that she could pat her while she was in Ed's lap.

Upon making that realisation, Elysia promptly sat on his legs, one of which was stretched out in front of him while his automail knee was pulled to his chest, rather than crossed like they had been before. It took a bit of coaxing but Elysia eventually allowed Ed to cross his legs once more so both of them were a bit more comfortable. Only at this time did Elysia realise that by joining the Lions, they'd joined the three youngest Paladins as well. However, unknown humans were far less fearsome than unknown Lions so Elysia wasn't as shy around them as she had been with the Lions.

"Hi! My name's Elysia!" she said to Lance, who was the closest and therefore the obvious choice to look to first before she looked at Hunk and Pidge.

"My name's Lance. It's a real honour to meet a princess as lovely as you," Lance said, giving Elysia a genuine smile that had her cheeks reddening immediately.

"'M not a real princess," Elysia mumbled, half-turned into Ed's chest once more and Ed wondered if he was gonna have to make everyone agree to stop making his adopted little sister so overwhelmed.

"I dunno," Lance said, a cheeky smile on his face. "See, I _know_ a real princess and you remind me a lot of her so I think you really are a princess," Lance told her confidently. Elysia's flush only deepened and Ed had to give Lance a warning look. He didn't think Gracia would be too impressed in Elysia fainted because Lance was complimenting her so much.

"You alright, kiddo?" Ed asked Elysia quietly and she gave a nod. "Do you wanna say hello to Hunk and Pidge now?"

Elysia turned on him so she was facing the two who she hadn't spoken to but so she still had Ed there in case she needed to hide again. "Hi," Elysia said, waving at Hunk again and smiling at Pidge, who gave a slightly unsure smile back.

" _She's terrified of small children,"_ Green revealed when she sensed Ed's curiousity. Pidge immediately gasped in betrayal and flicked Green's ear. _"She's never been around them so she has no clue how to deal with them,"_ Green continued, her voice far more amused now and both she and Ed laughed when Pidge's cheeks turned almost as red as Elysia's had been.

"Green, I'm gonna kill you," Pidge growled as Ed tried to hide his sniggering. Lance and Hunk – despite not knowing completely what was going on – weren't bothering to hide theirs.

"What's going on over there?" Shiro asked, looking amused with the situation and Pidge groaned as she hid her face in her hands.

"Green's teasing Pidge," Ed told Shiro, looking up over at the table for the first time since he and Elysia had moved and noticed that most everyone's attention was on them. "Where's Miss Gracia and Al?" Ed asked upon noticing them missing from the table.

"Gracia is preparing the food she brought over and Alphonse is lending her a hand," Hawkeye told him and now that she had said that, Ed could hear soft clattering of dishes in the kitchen.

Ed felt Elysia leave his lap and glanced over to see her sitting next to him so she could give both Blue and Yellow the pats she'd promised them. Hunk was talking with Elysia and it took a moment for Ed to realise that Hunk was asking her whether she'd tried any of the recipes he had given Ed and which ones were her favourite. Happy his attention wasn't needed right now, Ed turned back to the group at the table. "Has there been any discussion about Lotor and our plans regarding him?" Ed asked now that Elysia was distracted enough to not be paying attention to him.

"No, Gracia believed it would be best to save that kind of talk for when we're inside and Elysia is distracted by the Lions," Mustang told him.

Ed didn't do much more than a nod in response when a noise from the back door caught their attention. Looking over, Ed found Gracia looking over the group. "Now I know everyone's likes and dislikes aside from Voltron's," Gracia said, giving them a smile. "I've cooked spaghetti bolognese – which was about the only thing I had the ingredients for and could do on such short notice," cue the reprimanding look to Mustang that had the man saying slightly before Gracia spoke again. "I've done it without vegetables because my daughter doesn't like her vegetables cooked into the sauce but there are some as a side dish. I've also done up some garlic knots which are baking in the oven currently. Is this alright for everyone or do I need to whip up something extra?" Gracia asked.

"No I think that suits everyone. Thank you, Gracia," Shiro said, giving the blonde woman a genuine smile.

"It's no problem," Gracia assured him. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," she told everyone before she disappeared back into the house.

"Did she say she was doing garlic knots?" Lance asked Ed, who raised a brow but nodded in answer. "She is officially my favourite person in this entire country," Lance declared.

"Because she's making garlic knots?" Keith asked, interjecting himself into the conversation so he could get an answer.

"Garlic knots are my all-time favourite food and I haven't had proper Earth garlic knots since like a month before we found Blue," Lance told him, giving Blue a scratch. "No offence to Hunk's space version but nothing beats the Earth version," Lance told the Red Paladin even as he gave Hunk an apologetic look that the bigger teen waved off.

"Well at least we know you're easy to win over," Ed said with a smirk. Lance didn't bother denying it. He merely nodded in complete agreement while everyone else chuckled at the two of them.

* * *

An hour later found everyone well fed and very happy as they lounged in the outdoor entertainment, enjoying the last few dregs of daylight. Since it was such a pleasant day and the lounge room in Mustang's house wasn't really big enough for everyone to enjoy dinner comfortably, it was pretty much a silent, unanimous decision to go back outside. Elysia – after being asked by her mother – had decided to eat dinner up at the table with the adults before she joined the Lions and few humans back on the ground once everyone had finished eating. Ed's amusement skyrocketed when he felt Yellow's and – to a slightly lesser degree – the other Lions' disappointment at the girl's decision. From the looks on the Paladins' faces, the Lions hadn't been able to hide their disappointment from them either.

There wasn't any serious work-related talk from either the Amestrians or the Paladins during dinner as they complied with Gracia's earlier wishes to keep that sort of talk for when her daughter was otherwise occupied. Instead, the two teams regaled each other with the few child-friendly stories they had. In Voltron's case, the stories consisted of planets they'd visited for diplomatic reasons or supply runs and the kinds of things they'd seen there or they were stories about what had been happening in the Castle-Ship during down time. When Mustang had asked, Shiro confirmed that they had been on their way to Earth but the trouble with Lotor had forced Allura to detour once more, with Voltron's blessing.

Keith had been nearing the end of a story that Ed had heard before from the Lions but he'd found himself listening carefully because the Lions had left a few details out when Elysia complained about starting to feel cold. Though it was mid-spring, the temperature did sometimes drop significantly at night and obviously it had done so too much for the little girl's comfort. "Let's go inside for a coffee then, shall we?" Gracia suggested, giving Elysia a warm smile before she gave Mustang a look that dared him to argue with her, though slim the chance he would do so may be.

"I think that's a good idea. I take it everyone would like one?" Mustang asked. The only responses he gave to the almost unanimous 'yes' he received was an unsurprised nod and what Ed thought was a prayer that he would have enough coffee after making all of theirs to last him until the next time he went to the store.

Ed managed to pry Elysia off of Yellow so the Lion could stand up without accidentally hurting herself or Elysia. Gracia watched with amusement for a few moments before she was silently begged into the house by the pleading look for help on Mustang's face. Gathering his adopted sister up into his arms, Ed moved to follow the Lions and Paladins inside when he realised Shiro was walking over to join him. "What's up?" Ed asked as Elysia peered at Shiro curiously.

Shiro gave the little girl a small wave and smile before he focused on Ed. "I just wanted to ask how your arm is," Shiro told him, gesturing to his flesh arm.

"Yeah, it feels fine. I planned on having Lance look at it before I go for a shower tonight, assuming he's one of the ones who will be staying with us at Miss Gracia's. If not, I'd have had him look at it tomorrow," Ed told him as he, Shiro and Elysia walked into the house.

"Why would Lance need to look at your arm?" Gracia asked, making both Ed and Shiro jolt slightly as they hadn't realised – for some reason – that the Hughes matriarch would be in the kitchen.

"Ah, when we had that small scuffle with Lotor while in Resembool a tree got me?" Ed told her a little hesitantly. From the way she pursed her lips, Ed knew Gracia was not impressed with the lack of details but she didn't press for them. That didn't, however, mean Ed was clear of an interrogation from Gracia entirely and he knew he should expect to be sat down once Elysia was in bed later that night.

Once Gracia had waved them out of the kitchen with a small sigh and Ed had flipped Mustang off when neither Gracia nor Elysia could see it because of the smirk on his fellow alchemist's face, the three continued into Mustang's lounge room where Shiro found himself joining Ed and the other Paladins on the floor since there was enough room on the two couches for Gracia and Mustang to take a seat. Ed shook his head when Elysia shot straight for Blue and Yellow once again the moment he let her down before he joined Shiro in leaning up against Black. Al was missing but Ed didn't seem too worried and Shiro soon found out why when he heard footsteps upstairs.

" _I'm glad the two of you are comfortable,"_ Black grouched as Ed and Shiro leaned against her. Despite her words, there was absolutely no bite to them so the two humans knew she was teasing them.

"Oh good," Ed told her, lips curling up in a smirk when he wiggled slightly as though trying to get as comfortable as possible.

Shiro's attention was drawn from his friend and his Lion and he watched for a moment as Lance allowed himself to be drawn into whatever Elysia was telling them, which meant that Hunk and soon Pidge – though somewhat begrudgingly on the Green Paladin's part – was drawn in as well. Whatever the young girl was talking about, it must've been exciting because she was gesticulating her words with large gestures that reminded Shiro of the Blue Paladin a little and the comparison made him huff slightly in amusement. Ed noticed and raised a questioning brow but Shiro waved his hand, telling him it was nothing. Ed still looked curious but he let it go for the moment.

"Hey, Ed," Havoc called from where he sat on one of the couches and the blonde looked over at him. "What's the plan for your investigation?" he asked, unafraid to do so considering it was obvious Elysia was paying absolutely no attention to anyone who wasn't a Paladin or Lion.

"Figured it wouldn't be a stupid idea to start by calling the military outpost at Kaumafy and see if they've had anyone report a psycho dressed weirdly pass through in the last couple of days," Ed told him with a shrug. "We'll see what they say before we move on to whatever outpost is closest to Kaumafy in the direction Lotor was last seen heading in."

"How can you be certain he'll go through Kaumafy? Wouldn't it be smarter to stick to the outskirts of the town and continue on until he either got a disguise or knew we weren't following him anymore?" Shiro asked and Ed shook his head.

"I don't think he'd be stupid enough to actually go into town but I have absolutely no doubt some nosy farmer will have spotted him on their property and after possibly chasing him off it – cuz Lotor just looks shady and no farmer wants that kind of trouble – they'll report him to either their neighbours to give them the heads up about some weirdo walking around or they'll tell the military police stationed there," Ed answered. "If the farmer does only tell his neighbour, I can guarantee that the military police would know about the sighting within a few hours anyway. Farmers are the biggest gossipers I know of, mainly because it's the only source of entertainment they have out there," Ed added with a shrug.

"Wait, why do you think he wouldn't go into town? I mean, wouldn't he have to in order to get some clothing and other supplies?" Pidge asked, obviously taking the chance to get away from Elysia and back into an adult discussion.

"Nah, from everything you guys and the Lions have told me, Lotor isn't exactly stupid," Ed said as Mustang and Gracia started bringing coffees into the loungeroom. "He'll know he doesn't exactly blend in around here and neither will the armour he's wearing. My bet is that he'll take clothes off some poor bastard's clothesline as he passes through properties," Ed told her. "As for supplies – thanks, Miss Gracia," Ed said, cutting himself off to accept the coffee mug Gracia held out for him, giving her a warm smile as he did so.

"You're welcome, Ed," Gracia said as she handed Shiro his mug and accepted his thanks before she headed back into the kitchen. Al had caused some distraction as he came back downstairs and joined Ed, though he sat with some distance between his brother and the Lion Ed was leaning against.

Ed glanced at him before he looked back over at Pidge. "As I was saying, I don't think Lotor will try and get supplies in Kaumafy," Ed told her. "If he's smart, he'll wait until the next town or town after to get any food or camping things he needs. He won't be able to pay for it so he'll either have to barter for it or steal it and I'm almost positive he'll try to steal it during the night when whatever shop he targets is closed," Ed said.

"So we'll need to have Brookes ask whatever outposts he sends the sketch to, to keep an ear out for any reported break-in's of stores that supply camping gear and/or food," Mustang said as he handed Hawkeye her coffee and took a seat next to Havoc. Gracia had followed Mustang out of the kitchen with coffees for herself, Al and Falman in her hands and she took up the seat next to Hawkeye once she'd handed the two others their coffees.

"Yeah," Ed said with a nod.

" _Why are you so sure he'll rob a store rather than barter?"_ Red asked curiously and Keith was nice enough to voice the question so everyone could hear it.

"'Cuz I don't think his pride would let him barter," Ed answered honestly. "He's a prince and though his childhood doesn't indicate he was spoiled and given everything he desired, he was likely raised to take what he wanted and I doubt he's ever had to barter for anything. He's probably always had someone else pick up any supplies he needed before he struck out on his own and after he did, he likely either had enough of whatever kind of currency you lot use or he freaked sellers out enough to just give him what he wanted so he would leave their store," Ed said.

"I don't think I was the only one who picked up on some stuff from the BAU, Brother," Al joked after a moment and Ed rolled his eyes at him.

"That wasn't from anything the BAU taught us," Ed said. "Lotor reminds me of a Greed with no morals. That's what I'm basing my thoughts off of," Ed told him. "What?" Ed asked defensively when Al raised a brow. "Greed had morals! Not many and maybe they weren't necessarily good but he had some," Ed insisted. Though Greed may have not been his best friend, the homunculous had grown on Ed and had given his life so that Father was weakened enough for Ed to get the killing blow and it was because of that that Ed wouldn't hear anything bad and/or untrue about him.

"I didn't say he didn't," Al pointed out with a small smirk and Ed growled at him. Only Shiro's hand on his shoulder stopped him from actually doing so.

"What's the rest of your plan?" the Black Paladin asked, ensuring that Ed wouldn't attack his brother just yet.

"Depends on Brookes, to be honest," Ed told him, flipping Al off before he focused back on the conversation. He couldn't just _let_ his little brother get away with disrespecting him like that. "I don't think there's really any point in making more of a plan until we have a decent idea on where Lotor is going or what his plan could be," Ed said.

"That's a good point, Chief," Havoc said as he took a sip of his drink.

"I thought so," Ed deadpanned, making a few people chuckle. "Well, since there's nothing more to talk about on that subject, I want to know the end of the story Keith was telling us," Ed said, leaning forward off Black slightly so he could catch Keith's eyes.

"I'm sure you already know what happened thanks to this lot," Keith grouched, gesturing to the Lions.

"I absolutely do but you've given more details than they did and they," Ed gestured to the rest of the Amestrians, "don't know the ending," he told the Red Paladin.

Keith didn't look awfully impressed with Ed's logic but he sighed and acquiesced. "Okay, so like I was saying…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those wonderful people who commented on the last chapter and story as a whole! Much love to all of you! I hope you guys have a good week and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! See you all next week!


	20. Chapter 20

"Thanks for dropping us off, Havoc," Ed said as he shut the car door behind himself.

"No problems, Chief," Havoc said once his window was wound down, leaving Ed in much the same position as he had been with Browning earlier that evening. "Do you want one of us to come and pick you lot up in the morning?" Havoc asked, eyes glancing to the Black and Blue teams of Voltron and Al before they came back to Ed.

"You know what? That probably wouldn't be a bad idea," Ed said. "I think it'll be for the best if the Lions aren't seen walking around until we know how them helping me take down Buckley this afternoon was received by the public," Ed said and Havoc gave an understanding nod.

"Well, since I'll be keeping the car and Captain Hawkeye's already said she'll drive Bossman and the rest of Voltron into the office tomorrow, I'll pick you guys up. Half six in the A.M okay with you?" Havoc asked and Ed gave a nod, though his lips did quirk into a half-smirk when Lance's groan reached his ears.

"We'll be ready," Ed told him, knocking his right fist against the car roof twice. "See you then, Havoc," Ed said as he backed up and Havoc gave him a two-fingered salute paired with a cheeky grin that had Ed rolling his eyes.

"See you then, Chief," Havoc echoed before he exchanged goodbyes with everyone else, rolled up his window and pulled the car back onto the street.

Once Ed had completely rejoined the group, Gracia led them into her apartment building. "Now, I wish to apologise in advance," Gracia said, glancing over her shoulder to Shiro, Lance and their Lions. "The boys have the spare room so the only bedding available will be the couches. The Lions will have to sleep on the floor. There's no way you two will fit on the couch with your human," she told them apologetically.

"That's perfectly fine, Gracia," Shiro told her immediately.

"Yeah, Blue says she doesn't have any problems with that and I certainly don't," Lance confirmed.

"Neither does Black," Ed piped up. "She just wanted to make sure you knew that," Ed told Gracia when Black asked him to pass the message along.

Gracia gave them all a warm smile that held hints of relief in it before they fell silent once more as they continued up the stairs. By mutual unspoken agreement, they kept any chatter as quiet as possible since it was late enough that several of the other tenants may be in bed already. When they finally reached the Hughes' apartment, Gracia was quick to unlock her door and led them inside, leaving Ed to secure the door since he was the last through.

"While my daughter goes for a shower," Gracia said, giving Elysia a stern look when the young girl let out a whine, "I'll find some blankets for you all. Ed or Al can show you where everything is," Gracia said, getting nods from everyone and ignoring Elysia's pout. Ushering her daughter along, Gracia headed down the small hallway and into Elysia's bedroom, likely to get her pajamas ready.

"You can put your bags in the loungeroom," Ed said, waving at the four who didn't live in the apartment to follow him. "So, obviously, this is the loungeroom. Don't worry, the couches are really comfortable," Ed told them as Shiro and Lance placed their small bags on a couch each.

"I'd usually say something about Brother's bad sleeping habits but I can't without being hypocritical because I've fallen asleep on the couches after a few bad nights," Al said, looking and sounding rather annoyed that he couldn't sass his older brother.

Ed rolled his eyes at Al but said nothing about it, even when Lance snorted in amusement. "Through that door is the kitchen," Ed said, pointing across the room. "Next to it is the dining room," he continued saying, "then you have mine and Al's room and the bathroom on the right of the hallway and Miss Gracia's and Elysia's rooms on the left. The linen closet is at the end of the hallway if for some reason you need more blankets," Ed said, finishing the description of the apartment's layout.

"Wow, Brother. You managed to give a tour without leaving the loungeroom," Al drawled.

Ed glared at him, flipping Lance off when he didn't quite manage to hide his laughter in time. "Do you want me to smack you?" Ed asked.

"No fighting in our home. You know the rules," Gracia said as she came back into the loungeroom, arms full of blankets and pillows. Al was the quickest to relive her of some of her burden. "Thank you, Alphonse," Gracia said with a small smile.

"Did you succeed in convincing Elysia she needed to go for a shower?" Ed asked and from the way Gracia sighed, he knew what the answer would be.

"No," she said, proving Ed right. "She's too awake after everything that's happened," Gracia explained as she placed her blankets and pillow onto the couch Lance had chosen. "I was going to see if you could somehow convince her she needs to go for a shower and go to bed," Gracia admitted, looking slightly annoyed with herself.

"Course I will, Miss Gracia," Ed said immediately, giving her a reassuring smile. "The amount of practice I've gotten because of Al means I'm practically an expert in coaxing siblings into doing things their mums want them to do," Ed said, laughing when Al growled and took a swipe at him that Ed expertly dodged, grinning at his brother as he backed away from the loungeroom.

"I appreciate it, Ed," Gracia said, ignoring the boys' behaviour. "Would anyone like a hot drink while Edward wrangles my daughter?" Gracia asked, turning to face the others.

"Coffee, please, Miss Gracia!" Ed called over his shoulder as he headed up the hallway.

"No problems, Ed!" Gracia called back before looking at the three others expectantly.

"I wouldn't mind a coffee," Lance said, determined to get as much Earth coffee into his system as possible while he was in Amestris.

"I'm alright, thank you," Shiro said, turning down the offer.

"I'll have a tea, please, Miss Gracia," Al said, giving her a smile.

"Heathen!" came the shout from down the hall, followed quickly by what was quickly identified as Elysia's giggles while Lance and Shiro looked torn between amusement and surprise while Gracia tried hiding her own amusement at Al's exasperated sigh. Even Blue and Black – both of whom had made themselves comfortable in front of the couches – looked like they were laughing.

"How did he know?" Lance asked, looking at Blue and Black with a small amount of suspicion. Both Lions shook their heads.

"His hearing is pretty good and the walls in this apartment aren't as thick as you'd think," Al told them, still shaking his head at his older brother, despite the fact that Ed couldn't see him. Gracia nodded in confirmation as she headed for the kitchen. "Do you want some help, Miss Gracia?" Al asked but Gracia shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you though," Gracia said before she glanced at Lance. "How do you have your coffee?" she asked.

"Oh, milk and two sugars, please," Lance said and with a final nod, Gracia disappeared into the kitchen.

Al looked slightly uncomfortable being left alone with no one he'd known for more than a week near him. Both paladins noticed, as did their Lions, but Ed interrupted them before they could ask Al if he was alright. "She's in the shower," Ed announced, leaning against the doorway into the kitchen as he spoke to Gracia.

"Thank you, Ed," Gracia said. "What did you have to promise her?" she asked and Al just knew she had a brow raised as she silently dared Ed to say he didn't have to bribe the six-year-old.

Ed grinned. "Well, for starters, she's gonna stay up until I've had a shower and I have to read her a story when she _does_ go to bed," Ed told her. "What she isn't aware of is that as soon as Lance looks at my arm and the bathroom's not being used, I'm going for a shower," Ed said. "She can wait with Al if you want to head to bed early, Miss Gracia," Ed added, knowing sometimes Gracia went to her room earlier than normal just so she could enjoy reading whatever novel she was without anyone nearby.

"I'm alright for the moment and I still want to hear about what you did to your arm," Gracia told him, leaving no room for argument. Ed didn't bother trying. "Thank you for dealing with Elysia. I really appreciate the help," Gracia said, her voice serious and just a little tired.

"Don't worry about it," Ed said, flapping a hand dismissively in her direction. "You said so yourself. She was too wired up after the events of today. Once she's had a shower and settled down, she'll fall asleep immediately," Ed reminded her and Gracia huffed out a breathy laugh.

"Yeah, you're right," she said. "Oh, don't forget to remind me that I have to talk to Elysia about how much she can say at school about the Lions and their Paladins," Gracia said suddenly and Ed gave her a nod.

"Shall do," he said, straightening himself up from his lean and grabbing the milk from the fridge just as the high-pitched whistle sounded from the kettle.

"Thanks, Ed," Gracia said as she took the milk from him when he handed it over. A few moments later, he was given the milk back and he placed the carton back in the fridge.

Ed followed Gracia out of the kitchen with his coffee cup in one of his hands and Al's in the other while Gracia carried her own cup of tea and Lance's coffee. "You guys could've taken a seat, you know?" Ed said, slightly amused when he realised the three humans were still standing.

" _We were waiting to see how long it would take for them to figure it out,"_ Blue whined, displeased Ed had ruined their fun.

"Sorry, Blue. Next time," Ed promised, much to the displeasure of Lance and – once he'd been told what Blue had said – Shiro.

However, their displeasure in Blue and Ed's small conversation didn't stop them from listening to Ed and making themselves comfortable on the couches, the Paladins on one, Elrics on the other and Gracia in her armchair. Lance hesitated though and glanced at Ed's left arm. "Do you want me to look at it now?" he asked when Ed raised a questioning brow.

"Ordinarily I'd tell you it doesn't need to be looked at but I did promise that I would have you look at it," Ed sighed, liked he was silently berating his past self, "however, I also promised Elysia she could have a look herself so she could see your alien meds at work," Ed told him. "I don't think she believed me when I told her that an injury I got yesterday was almost healed by now," Ed added, though more in response to Gracia's disapproving expression than Lance's surprised look.

Gracia still didn't look happy but she also knew that there was no discouraging Elysia from checking on any injury either Elric suffered. Ever since Al had started living with them after being discharged from hospital after Promised Day, Elysia had taken it upon herself to make sure any injury, no matter how slight, was healing satisfactorily. Gracia was certain her daughter would become a doctor or nurse just from how she treated the two boys. Bringing her mind back to the present, Gracia took a sip of her tea. "So what happened to your arm?" she asked.

"Lotor found me, Mustang and Den in a clearing near Granny's and fired at us," Ed told her bluntly. "He missed and the shot hit the tree behind us but freaked Den out. Den tried to go forwards to escape the noise but that was the way the tree was coming down. I grabbed him and a branch got my arm for my troubles," Ed said. "Havoc pulled all the splinters out he could find and Lance used some stuff from Blue's and Yellow's first aid kits to help the more severe scratches heal faster," Ed said, wrapping up his report just as the sounds of the running shower stopped.

"You didn't even need stitches?" Gracia asked, looking mildly surprised and Ed nodded in agreement to her statement. "Well, that's a relief," she said with a small sigh. "A little surprising it wasn't more severe but a relief nonetheless," she added, a slightly teasing note in her voice that had Ed rolling his eyes, even as he grinned.

"With the way the three Lions who were still at Granny's acted when they got the message that Brother and their two sisters were attacked, we were expecting to find Brother needing to be hospitalised once more," Al said conversationally.

Gracia smiled behind her cup of tea as Ed flipped Al off, though the offensive gesture was quickly hidden when they heard light but hurried footsteps heading their way. Soon enough, the person who was responsible for the slight noise burst into the loungeroom, dressed in her pajamas and her hair dripping wet. "Do you actually try and dry your hair, missy?" Gracia asked, making Elysia stop in her tracks.

"Yes?" the young girl said, lying through her teeth and Gracia pinned her with a look.

"Go and get your towel so I can dry it and comb your hair," Gracia instructed. Elysia pouted but did as her mother told her. "I need your comb!" Gracia called after her, just in case her daughter didn't realise that for herself.

"Okay, Mama!" came the loud reply.

"Do you mind if I use your shower while you're busy with Elysia?" Shiro asked and Gracia shook her head.

"Of course not," she told him. "Al can find you a towel while I deal with Elysia. Just hang it up on one of the hooks when you're done with it," Gracia instructed. "Oh and watch your step. I can't guarantee Elysia didn't accidentally flood the bathroom," she added warningly.

"Will do," Shiro said as he dug through his small bag for his own pajamas. Al had already abandoned the couch to head to the linen closet in order to do as Gracia had asked for him. Shiro headed after him after giving Black a scratch behind the ear, dodging Elysia as she ran back to her mother, dragging her towel behind her while clutching her comb in her free hand.

"Here, Mama," Elysia said, all but throwing the towel on Gracia's lap and shoving her comb into her mother's hand.

"Thank you, honey," Gracia said, using Elysia's shoulders to turn her around so she was facing the room before she draped the towel over her head and started lightly drying Elysia's hair.

"You didn't let Lance look at your arm yet, did you, big brother?" Elysia asked as Al made his way back to the room.

"I promised you I wouldn't and I never break my promises," Ed reminded her, drinking some of his coffee as Al sat down and Elysia gave a pleased nod.

" _It's very sweet that she's so attentive to you and your injuries,"_ Black said as she watched Elysia squirm under her mother's ministrations.

"She's always been intrigued by our injuries even back when Al was still in his armour and we stayed in Central in between missions," Ed said, keeping the conversation to his bonds with the two Lions so he didn't have to repeat everything Blue or Black said to the others. "However I think she started really started channeling the nurses at the hospital after the first few weeks after Promised Day, when I started taking on missions of my own after Al was able to stay awake for more than an hour at a time," Ed told them, mentally grinning at some of the memories of Elysia fussing over his bandages or band-aids when he came back from a mission with a new injury.

"Elysia, why do you want to look at Ed's injury? Don't you find that yucky?" Lance asked. "My little sisters didn't like looking at any kind of injury we got when I was younger," he said.

"'Cuz Mama, big brother Al and all the nurses and doctors at the hosp'tal all say big brother Ed doesn't know how to look after his hurts," Elysia told him matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Ed deadpanned at the two Elysia mentioned who he could give a flat look to.

"It's not my fault you refuse to listen to the doctors or nurses about when you're fully healed," Al said innocently.

"You do have a tendency to take on missions when your doctors haven't cleared you," Gracia added, dragging the comb through Elysia's flattened curls gently. "Someone has to make sure you don't end up back in the hospital because of your stubbornness." That statement was paired with a raised brow that dared Ed to argue with the elder Hughes.

"That sounds about right," Lance said, chuckling slightly.

"You have no room to talk, Lance," Shiro said, startling most of them with his sudden presence. He didn't appear to notice most of them jumping in shock as he mimicked Gracia's earlier look.

"Yeah, from what Blue's told me over the last six months, you're almost as bad as I am," Ed said, causing Lance's betrayed pout to deepen.

"I thought we were attacking Ed, not me," Lance grumbled, sinking into the couch cushions as he scowled at them heatlessly.

" _You're the one who made that comment,"_ Blue reminded him sweetly, which only made Lance's scowl deepen while Ed repeated her words happily to the others.

"You all suck," Lance muttered, though his lips were twitching upwards slightly. Blue rolled her eyes as she hauled herself to her feet so she could nuzzle Lance's cheeks.

" _You're my favourite pilot and we're only teasing,"_ Blue told him, not giving up on her slightly smothering behaviour until Lance gave in and hugged her.

"Alright, as much as I appreciate the love, I need to go for a shower so I don't accidentally pass on something that could infect Ed's wounds if they aren't as healed as they should be," Lance said, letting go of Blue before he looked over at Gracia, who was now finishing up with Elysia's hair. "So long as that is okay with you, Gracia?" Lance asked.

"I don't mind," Gracia said as she stood, Elysia's towel and comb in her hands. "I'll find you a clean towel once I put Elysia's up to dry," she said, getting a nod from the Blue Paladin before she disappeared out of the room.

Lance was quick to grab his bag, which was on the couch Ed and Al were sitting on and go through it to grab his night clothes. "Aw," Lance suddenly said. "I never grabbed my skin care stuff," Lance whined, causing Shiro to let out a small, relieved huff since he'd thought that maybe Lance had accidentally left his pajamas at Pinako's or something like that.

"Where do you normally buy that stuff from?" Ed asked as Gracia returned with a clean, folded towel.

"Thank you, Gracia," Lance said, taking the towel from her and tucking it under his arm while Gracia went and sat back down in her armchair. "I get my face stuff from either a beauty/make-up store or a chemist," Lance said, answering Ed's question.

"Alright," Ed said with a nod. "If we get some time tomorrow before the pharmacy in the city centre closes, we'll go pay it a visit and see if they've got anything for you to use," Ed promised. Though he personally didn't understand why Lance's skin care routine was so important to the Cuban, it _was_ important to him and that was reason enough to help him find what he needed while he was here.

"Really?" Lance asked, his eyes shining brightly with hope. When Ed gave him a nod, Lance ignored the slightly amused, slightly confused expression on Ed's face as he pulled the unprepared blonde into a tight hug. "Thanks, dude!" he cried happily.

Shiro could feel his face turning red with the amount of effort he was putting into not laughing out loud at the awkward pats Ed placed on Lance's shoulder. Gracia was grinning madly while Al was sniggering into his tea. Elysia just looked mildly confused at their behaviour since she didn't see what was funny about her big brother getting a hug from someone. She gave him hugs all the time and no one laughed at him then!

"Stop making fun of big brother Ed!" Elysia demanded, her cheeks puffing out in anger as she levelled them with her best glare. Her exclamation caused Lance to let go of Ed while Al and Shiro looked appropriately chided. Gracia just looked proud of Elysia.

"You," Ed said, grinning at Elysia, "are my favourite sibling," he told her seriously, causing the youngest Hughes to flush a very deep red and fidget with her pajamas as she tried to hide how pleased she was.

"Hey!" Al protested weakly, causing Ed to give him a side-eyed glare.

"Nope, you've been replaced," Ed told him bluntly. "Favourite siblings don't laugh when their older brother has been attacked by a surprise hug," Ed informed him. Elysia's blush only deepened with his statement and Ed soon found himself with a six-year-old girl on his lap and hugging him tightly.

"Alright, I'm gonna go for my shower before I accidentally cause a proper fight over who's the best sibling," Lance said, a grin on his lips though Shiro thought he could see some signs of melancholy and jealousy there as well but Lance walked away before he could ask if he was alright.

The Black Paladin's heart sank as he realised this scene was probably making Lance remember his family with greater heartache than he usually did and he couldn't help the pangs of guilt and regret he felt. Black, obviously sensing her pilot's inner thoughts and feelings, rubbed her head up against Shiro's thigh comfortingly and Shiro repaid her by scratching her ears. Looking up, Shiro caught the concerned look Ed shot him but he merely answered it with a small shake of his head, silently telling the blonde that he was alright. Ed didn't look like he fully believed him but he let it go without a fight.

"Have you two finished with your cups?" Gracia asked, pulling herself up out of her seat once more and grabbing the empty mug Lance had used.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Gracia," Al said as he handed over his and Ed's mugs while his brother echoed his words.

"You're both welcome," she told them before she headed into the kitchen to wash the few dirty pieces of cutlery.

Despite her complaining when she'd first turned up at Mustang's for dinner, they hadn't brought any of her Tupperware home because she'd managed to cook more food than was needed and Mustang had offered to move the leftovers into separate containers belonging to him since Gracia didn't want to take the leftovers home. As repayment for cooking the dinner, Mustang had even offered to wash up all of her Tupperware and return it to her sometime over the weekend. Gracia's initial instinct was to tell Mustang not to worry about it and that she could wash her own Tupperware but the larger part of her realised Mustang was offering to save her a decent amount of work and she ended up accepting it gratefully. Elysia – as well behaved as she was, all things considered – had been becoming a little more difficult with each day that passed that they didn't hear from the boys while they were in Ishval.

She was so focused on her thoughts and not what she was doing that she didn't even realise she was still scrubbing the first coffee mug. Shaking her head at herself, Gracia quickly placed it on the drying rack before she moved on to the second one. In the living room, she could hear her daughter talking animatedly at those still with her and Gracia couldn't help but smile at it. It was rare that they had someone new over and Gracia loved the fact that her daughter was getting the chance to make some new friends, even if they were closer to Ed's age than her own.

The fact that her daughter was bonding with Voltron made Gracia's hopes that the youngest and only female pilot would be able to achieve the plans she had for Ed's tablet, which the blonde had reluctantly surrendered to her before they'd left Mustang's home. Pidge had claimed several weeks ago that she had some ideas on how she could link Ed's tablet up so he could call their tablets on the Castle-Ship and they could call him but the only catch had been that she would need physical access to Ed's tablet – something that had obviously been impossible until now. Ed had certainly been excited about the idea that he'd be able to talk to all of them in real time and without needing to use the Lions as messengers, though the blonde had been pretty quick to hide it, lest he find himself on the end of several teasing comments from his team, brother and some Voltron members.

Gracia chuckled to herself when she realised she'd once again lost track of what she was doing and moved on to the next cup. Quickly washing up the final four and the small amounts of cutlery and plates from earlier the day, Gracia placed them all in the drying rack before she pulled the plug to empty the sink. As the water drained, she heard someone walking down the hallway and realised Lance must've finished in the bathroom. Cleaning up the last of the kitchen, Gracia headed into the loungeroom once more.

"I'm going to go for a shower and turn in for the night," Gracia said. "I don't mind how long the six of you are up," she gestured to the four boys and two Lions, "but you, missy, will be in bed once your big brother has gone for his shower," Gracia reminded her daughter.

Elysia went to pout but Ed poked her in the side. "We made a deal, Elysia," Ed reminded her, making the pout disappear before it could properly form.

"Alright, Mama," Elysia said, sighing in defeat. "G'night, Mama. Love you," she told Gracia, giving her a sweet smile that had Lance cooing slightly and Gracia smiling back at her.

"Love you too, Elysia," Gracia said, bending to kiss the top of her daughter's head before she did the same to Ed and Al, unable to resist the chance to show them a small amount of motherly affection. "Good night, you two," she said, straightening back up.

"Good night, Miss Gracia," Ed and Al said at the same time.

"Let me know in the morning if the couches aren't comfortable enough for you two. I might be able to find some old camping gear you can use instead," Gracia said, facing the two Paladins.

"I'm sure we'll be fine but thank you, Gracia," Shiro told her while Lance nodded emphatically in agreement with his team leader.

"Have a good night," Gracia said once more. "Try not to stay up too late. You do have an early morning and I suspect that someone will have Ed up in the morning so he can cook breakfast," Gracia predicted, grinning when Ed groaned and Elysia gasped with delight as she realised she could indeed make Ed get up to cook one of his famous breakfasts. Delighted with the small amount of mischief she'd caused, Gracia waved at them all before she disappeared down the hall to grab her pajamas and start her nightly routine.

* * *

Ed and Elysia's conversation about what Ed should cook for breakfast the next morning lasted long enough for Al to hear Gracia leaving the bathroom, her shower finished before he heard the soft click of her bedroom door. He waited long enough to hear that Ed had been talked into making pancakes – chocolate chip ones if they had any chocolate chips – before he got up to go for his shower. Ed had waved him off as he nodded in agreement with Elysia's declaration that they should have strawberries and whipped cream with them as well. Lance looked just as excited for the pancakes as he did whenever someone mentioned coffee and Al noticed that Shiro wasn't able to hide his own excitement all that well either. Al headed down the hallway towards the bathroom but only once he made sure Ed knew he also wanted maple syrup with his pancakes as well. The resulting grumbling about how Ed should be charging them for his culinary skills had Al chuckling as he left them in the living room.

"Do you think Gracia would mind if I made myself a tea?" Shiro asked as Al walked away and Ed shook his head.

"Just make sure you clean up after yourself," Ed told him. "Cups are in the cupboard up and to the right of the kettle, tea is next to the kettle and milk is in the fridge," Ed explained as the Black Paladin got to his feet, nodding at Ed's words.

"Do you mind if I look at your arm now?" Lance asked, making Ed sigh slightly but hold his arm out in a resigned invitation. "You're gonna have to take off your jackets, dude," Lance chuckled as he grabbed his medical kit, just in case.

"Jump off my lap for a second, you," Ed instructed Elysia, who pouted but did as she was told. The moment Ed was left in his tank top and pants, Elysia was back on his lap but this time she was sitting sideways in it so she was able to see his left arm covered in the clean white bandages. "Happy now?" Ed asked.

"Immensely," Lance deadpanned, managing to keep the straight-faced expression for all of two seconds. "Let's get this unwrapped," Lance said, once he stopped chuckling and was seated on Ed's left.

Elysia watched in intrigue as Lance deftly tapped the invisible end of the bandage, making it reappear so Lance could grab it. Ed could feel Elysia's impatience as she waited for Lance to slowly roll the bandage up while he was unwinding it from around the injury. Both teenagers had to stifle their laughter when Elysia let out a small groan at the sight of the gauze the bandage had covered. Blue and Black didn't bother since Elysia couldn't hear them. Finally, the bandage was off and placed to the side so Lance could send it through the wash later. Making quick work of removing the gauze, Lance sagged slightly in relief while Elysia blinked.

"They're not so bad," Elysia said, looking between Ed, his arm and Lance in confusion. Sure enough, the large deep gashes that had been there the previous day were practically fully healed. From the way they looked now, Ed would've been able to complain that he gotten them from a pissed-off house cat or the tip of a bladed weapon. "Why'd you cover them up?" she asked, knowing for a fact that her big brother only covered an injury if it was deep and the risk of infection was too high.

"They weren't this shallow when I first got them, El," Ed said. "Remember when I told you a tree scratched my arm up but Lance had special ointment that helped hurts heal quicker?" Ed asked and Elysia nodded. "That's what he used on my arm. In another couple of days, my arm won't even look like it had been hurt," Ed told her.

"That's amazing," Elysia said, her eyes wide with awe.

"So what is your expert opinion, Nurse Elysia?" Lance asked, waving his hand at Ed's arm in an invitation for the young girl to have a closer look at it.

Ed felt himself fighting a fond grin when Elysia took up Lance's offer by actually pulling Ed's arm into her lap and scrutinizing every millimetre of the three barely-there scratches. "They look good," she told Lance. Her small fingers lightly touched the injuries before she nodded seriously. "They're not hot neither so they're not 'fected. Big brother just needs to make sure he doesn't reopen them and they'll be all healed soon!" she said, finishing her report with one, sharp nod that had Lance and Ed grinning proudly at her.

"You are absolutely spot on, Nurse Elysia," Lance told her, keeping his tone professional, as though he really was a doctor talking to one of the new nurses. "Once your big brother's gone for a shower, I'll put some more healing goop on the cuts and by morning, they'll be completely healed," Lance said, speaking more to Ed than he was Elysia. Ed gave a nod, telling him he had his permission.

" _Like he needed it,"_ Blue said. _"You know he would've just badgered you until you gave in,"_ she told him, giving him a toothy grin.

"You're not wrong," Ed acknowledged as Elysia twisted slightly on his lap so she was facing him fully once more. Ed grabbed her lightly with his flesh hand as she adjusted herself so she wouldn't accidentally fall off of his lap.

Because he was focused on Elysia and making sure she didn't knee him in the kidney – she'd done that once before and he swore his kidney was actually bruised for a week after that – Ed didn't notice Lance moving his medkit out of the way or him relax against the couch right next to Ed. This meant that the blonde alchemist also didn't notice when Lance decided to throw an arm around Ed's neck – something he'd done several times on the Castle-Ship – so he could pull Ed into a hug, something that usually resulted in Ed grumbling in fake protest though he never pulled away from the hug immediately.

Lance's Lion had barely managed to gasp out a _'Lance, don't!'_ before his arm was around Ed's neck, his elbow positioned just right to drag Ed in for a hug. Lance didn't even get the chance to ask Blue what the problem was when he felt Ed go completely stiff next to him. When Lance looked back at the blonde, he could see that his pupils were blown wide while his eyes were glazed. His chest was starting to heave as Ed started to hyperventilate and Lance was willing to bet that his pulse was starting to race now. Lance barely noticed Ed's left hand tightening, increasing how much it did so with every second it was wrapped around Elysia's forearm but the little girl didn't seem to notice as she took in her big brother's behaviour.

In the two seconds it took for Lance to put all the clues together and realise he'd accidentally caused one of his friends to start having a panic attack, Elysia was shoving his arm off of Ed's neck. "Arm off! Arm off!" she cried as she put all of her strength into pulling and pushing Lance's arm away from Ed's neck. Lance snatched his arm back like Elysia had burned it, horror building in him as he realised he'd completely forgotten about Ed's aversion to having his neck touched now.

As Elysia reached for Ed, Lance went to grab her, knowing from Keith's report of what happened in the main hangar bay that Ed didn't react well to being touched when he was in the middle of a panic attack but Blue stopped him. _"She knows what to do,"_ his Lion reassured him.

Though Lance believed her, he still found himself hesitant to squash his urge to get Elysia away from Ed and calm him down himself. Part of that was caused by the fact that this was Lance's fault and he wanted to fix it but the other half was because he didn't want Ed to accidentally hurt Elysia because a panic attack that wouldn't have been happening if Lance hadn't forgotten one of Ed's triggers. Lance spotted Shiro coming out of the kitchen, likely in response to Black's concern, and he could tell that his team leader was struggling with the same choices he was. Lance kept his eyes guiltily averted from Shiro as he watched Elysia carefully, just in case he needed to intervene.

* * *

The moment Lance's arm pressed against the side of his neck, the living room and Elysia's face disappeared as his mind forced him back into that room on Zarkon's ship. He could _feel_ Hagger's claws digging into his cheek and neck, the ghostly memory of warm blood trickling down his chin and neck from where she'd ripped through flesh. Her crooned threats seemed to echo and repeat over themselves as they replayed in his mind and Ed swore he could feel his throat being squeezed tightly by the witch once more.

Even once the pressure on his neck was gone, Ed's panic didn't cease and faintly he realised he was about to have a full-blown panic attack in the middle of Gracia's living room with Lance, Shiro, Blue, Black and Elysia as witnesses. Despite knowing this was a panic attack and that Haggar wasn't actually in front of him, tightening her grip on his throat and threatening everyone he knew, Ed couldn't get himself to calm down. His usual techniques weren't working to stop the attack in its tracks before it could get worse than just him freezing up and that was just giving his panic attack more fuel.

Then suddenly there was a small voice amongst the ugly whispers and snarls from Haggar and, although it sounded like someone speaking to him while he was underwater, Ed found himself latching onto it desperately. The moment he did so, the voice started to slowly but surely drown out the witch's and soon enough, Ed was able to identify who it belonged to. It seemed that Elysia was taking the lead in calming him down and Ed felt his panic rise once more. This wasn't the first time his adopted little sister had been there when he'd had a panic attack but she'd never tried calming him down by herself before and he didn't want to accidentally hurt her if she forgot the rules when it came to dealing with his panic attacks.

He almost jolted when he felt two small, warm palms pressed against his cheeks – the touch such a stark contrast to the memory of Haggar's grip he was vividly reliving that it alone managed to bring him almost all the way back to the present. He didn't even notice he was scrunching his eyes shut in an effort to focus on Elysia and her voice until the muscles around them started hurting but he didn't let himself relax, not trusting that he wouldn't go straight back to that memory if he did. Instead, he forced himself to concentrate on Elysia, on trying to make sense of what she was saying, on her palms pressed to his cheeks as he fought to completely escape the memory he was trapped in.

* * *

"You're okay, big brother," Elysia said, her voice dropping into the soothing tone she'd heard her mother and other big brother use when they found Ed in the middle of a panic attack. "You're at home and you're safe. You're on yours and big brother Al's favouritist couch in Mama's loungeroom and there's Lance and Shiro and Blue and Black an-and me here and you're safe. You're not where your mind says you are. It's lying to you 'cuz you're here with me and you're safe," Elysia was saying. It was obvious to the four members of Voltron that she was just about parroting lines she'd heard said to Ed in this situation before but she had to keep remembering to keep her voice steady and calm at times when her natural childish enthusiasm tried to overtake the persona she was using. "You're not there, big brother. You're here and you're safe 'cuz you're with me and I'll keep you safe from _everything_ , big brother. Even your mind when it's not being nice to you," Elysia swore. The absolute certainty and sincerity in her voice made Lance want to coo at her just like Blue did in his mind.

Shiro and Lance were exchanging a worried glance when Ed suddenly inhaled sharply, his eyes coming back into focus as he managed to push the memories back down wherever he normally kept them. "Good job, El," Ed rasped out, the corner of his lips twitching up slightly at the little girl before he took in a low, deep breath. "You did great at protecting me," Ed told her, the rasp practically gone now that he'd had the chance to calm himself down.

"I did?" Elysia asked, eyes sparkling with pride and hope that Ed wasn't playing a joke on her, as her elder brother sometimes liked to do.

"You really did," Ed told her, ignoring the others in the loungeroom for the moment as he focused solely on Elysia. "You did super well, El. You should be really proud of yourself," Ed said, pulling her close and wrapping her in a tight hug that the young girl returned just as enthusiastically.

"You okay now, big brother?" Elysia asked, slightly muffled against his shoulder.

Ed squeezed her a bit tighter. "I'm okay now," he promised her, voice nearly a whisper.

"Ed?" The call of his name only a few seconds after he pulled Elysia in for a hug made Ed pull back slightly, though Elysia didn't let him go far. She stayed stuck to his chest, though she wriggled around enough to look at Lance and if Ed wasn't mistaken, she was giving him a slight stink-eye that had Ed a little proud, if he was being honest. "I'm so sorry," Lance said, eyes downcast and miserable. "I totally forgot Blue told me your neck being touched like that is a trigger but that's no excuse. I should've remembered and I am so sorry that I didn't," Lance apologised sincerely.

"Lance, don't worry about it," Ed said, dismissing the apology immediately and looking thoroughly uncomfortable, not just with the apology but because he'd almost had a panic attack in front of them. "Seriously, it took the team a few weeks for them all to remember that set me off and even now they still sometimes go to grab me like that for whatever reason before they catch themselves doing so," Ed said.

"Still-" Lance tried protesting but Ed flapped a hand at him.

"I can't expect you guys to know – let alone remember – the things that could set me off," Ed told him. "So don't worry about it, man," Ed said.

Lance didn't look like Ed's words were the truth but he nodded and dropped the subject, even as he fully prepared himself to find some way to make up for what he'd done. Blue gave him a knowing look that Lance ignored. His Lion wouldn't be able to talk him out of making this up to Ed, no matter what she said or tried. Ed seemed to realise what Lance's thoughts were, judging by the look he was giving the Blue Paladin but Lance ignored him just like he did his Lion. Lance was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone approaching and he swung around to find Al approaching them, his short hair still wet from his shower.

Al looked up to see them watching him and Lance wasn't sure what the younger Elric spotted on their faces but it had him shooting his older brother a concerned look. "What happened?" Al asked immediately, moving quickly towards Ed so he could start fussing over him.

"Nothing, Alphonse," Ed told him, rolling his eyes.

"I accidentally triggered a panic attack," Lance said before Al could try and wheedle the information out of Ed. The glare Al shot him made him almost flinch backwards from the ferocity behind it. "Elysia managed to help him before it got too bad," Lance mumbled.

"Enough, Alphonse," Ed snapped, glaring at his brother. "It's not like you or Winry have never accidentally triggered an attack so quit glaring at Lance like that. It wasn't his fault and if I don't blame him, _you_ certainly have no reason to," Ed informed him, a warning tone in his voice.

"That was uncalled for, Edward," Al said, turning his glare onto Ed, who met it unflinchingly.

"So is making Lance feel worse for something he didn't mean to do, Alphonse," Ed told him pointedly, his glare not lessening in the slightest. "I don't know what your problem is, little brother, but you had better resolve it before something irreparable happens between you and Voltron because I, for one, am at a loss for why they're getting attitude from you. You're not as subtle as you think you are," Ed told him, making Al flush with embarrassment and anger.

"Ed, that's not-" Shiro was saying but Ed held his hand up to stop him from talking.

"No, I know you guys have noticed it. Hawkeye and Havoc have definitely noticed it. I bet Mustang has as well," Ed said. "We weren't raised to dislike or hate people we don't know for no good reason," Ed told Shiro, though his eyes never left Al. Elysia was still tucked up against Ed's chest but she was keeping herself still and quiet in the face of the tension that was overtaking the room. "I'm gonna go for a shower while Elysia picks out whatever book she wants me to read to her and you, Alphonse Elric, will either go to our room and figure out your problem and how to deal with it so it isn't one or you will talk it out with them," Ed said, gesturing to Shiro, Lance and the two Lions, who were sitting quietly, not offering any comments about the situation rapidly unfolding in front of them. Ed didn't let them say anything in response as he got up from the couch, pulling Elysia up with him. "Say good night to everyone, El," Ed instructed quietly.

"Can I hug them goodnight?" Elysia asked, her voice quiet as though she thought she might make Ed angry if she asked any louder.

"Course you can," Ed told her, placing her on the floor and watching her give both Lance and Shiro – who looked rather surprised to be getting a hug from a child who hadn't known them more than five hours – before she gave Blue and Black as big a hug as she could manage.

Al scooped her up into a hug at her request and gave her a tight hug that she returned. Ed could see her whispering something into Al's ears and almost asked what is was since Al's cheeks pinkened once more and his brother had an expression that Ed thought might have been sheepishness but didn't get the chance when Elysia asked to be put back on the floor. "Night, everyone," she said, waving to them all as she headed for Ed's side.

"Good night, Elysia," Al said, giving her a smile and a wave, though he didn't make eye contact with anyone else once Elysia's attention was grabbed by Lance.

"Night, _princesa,"_ Lance said, causing Elysia to flush slightly since it was pretty easy for her to translate Lance's Spanish into Amestrian, even if Ed didn't sometimes call her 'princess' in Spanish, Cretan or whatever other language he knew and she didn't already knew what it meant.

"Night, Elysia," Shiro said, before both he and Lance (this time without the Spanish) repeated the well-wishes on behalf of Blue and Black.

"I'll be back once she's in bed," Ed told them, looking specifically at Al, who ignored his look. Knowing Al had seen it though, even for a moment, was enough for Ed to leave the subject where it was. Grabbing Elysia's hand, Ed led her out of the loungeroom and towards her bedroom. "I'm sorry you had to listen to us fight, El," Ed said to the young girl.

"It's alright, big brother," Elysia said, giving him a smile. "Big brother Al shouldn't have been mean to Lance when he didn't do anything wrong on purpose," Elysia said seriously.

"He only acted like that because he was worried about me but you are absolutely right," Ed told her. "He shouldn't have acted like that even if he was worried," Ed said, a little bit of disappointment in his tone. It had been almost 72 hours since Voltron and Lotor had arrived in his dimension and nearly 70 hours since Ed had first noticed Al's attitude around the Voltron members – how he didn't initiate conversation with them if he didn't need to, always took any opportunity so he wasn't left alone with any of the Voltron members – and not only did he not have a reason for it but he was sick of it. Hopefully now his brother would sort his shit out because a petty grudge like this could get someone hurt during a fight.

"I'm gonna pick out a story now," Elysia announced once Ed stopped at her bedroom door.

"Pick two," Ed told her. "Let's give your other big brother some time to talk to the others without me or you there," he said, giving her a wink. The delighted squeal she gave made sure the grin Ed had on his face stayed on there until he was in the bathroom.

* * *

From the time it took for Ed and Elysia to leave the loungeroom to the time it took for them to hear the shower running, Alphonse didn't move an inch, not even to stop glaring at the floor like it was personally responsible for the awkward and tension-filled atmosphere. Shiro and Lance exchanged looks, both feeling completely out of their depths in this situation and not knowing what they should do next. Both Blue and Black exchanged their own look before they shot each person a glare that told them to sit down and start talking to one another.

Both Shiro and Lance did the wise thing and took a seat on the couch Shiro had claimed as his bed for the duration of their stay but it took Al a few more moments to do the same on the other couch. It took another half a minute of silence before Black and Blue huffed at their humans before Black locked eyes with her human. _"Ask him what Ed was talking about,"_ Black instructed.

"Black wants to know what Ed was talking about," Shiro dutifully relayed.

Al hissed out an annoyed sounding sigh, still glaring out the ground. "I don't have a problem with you," Al told them. "Or, I suppose, I _shouldn't_ have a problem with you or your team is what I should be saying," Al said, heaving another sigh and sinking into the back of the couch cushions.

"But you do?" Lance pressed, getting a reprimanding look for his blunt question from Shiro.

"It's stupid. I _know_ it's stupid," Al told them, shaking his head at himself. "You've got to understand; ever since Mum died, it's been me and Ed," Al said, finally looking up and making eye contact with them both. "Even those few months between Mum's death and us moving to Dublith to stay with Teacher and Sig where Granny and Winry were looking after us, the only person who we could really count on, who we knew could truly understand what we were feeling and how we were dealing with everything was the other," Al told them.

"Then after our accident and Ed joined the military, we really were all we had. Our time in the military meant we had a massive barrier between us, Winry and Granny and what happened to us that night meant we couldn't trust anyone outside of General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye with it because if they knew and weren't trustworthy, they could've had us arrested and Ed would've been killed but we couldn't trust General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye at the beginning any more than we could've the others because they knew what we'd done and could sell us out at any time if Ed wasn't useful to General Mustang anymore," Al told them, his eyes going back down to the floor for a moment before he steeled himself and looked back up.

"What that means is that for the best part of the last seven _years_ , Edward has been the only person who knows everything about me. He's the only person who knows my secrets, my fears, my dreams and who can keep me level when things go bad," Al said, "and I'm that person to him. No one else is closer to one of us than we are to each other," Al stressed. "I don't actually know if what I'm saying is making any sense to you four," he said, chuckling a little self-deprecatingly.

"You know Ed told Shiro a lot of heavy stuff and to you, that means you're no longer the only person he can rely on the most," Lance said. The shocked look on Shiro's face almost Lance crack a grin but the subdued nod Al gave him had him holding it back.

"How did you know that? Black and I swore to Ed we wouldn't tell anyone and I know the other Lions did as well," Shiro asked, pulling them slightly off track for the moment.

"That night, Blue woke me up when she heard whatever Ed was feeling at the time, probably because of Black's feelings as well," Lance explained. "None of the others woke up because of their Lions so I figured it was because Blue's so good at sensing others' emotions that I got like a feedback loop, you know? Like me being bonded with her meant that I'd feel whenever she senses other people's emotions and kind of loop it back to her, amplifying it, you know?" Lance said, trying to explain what he was talking about. "Anyways, it woke me up and I realised Shiro, Black and Ed were missing so I put two and two together and figured since you two and Ed weren't nearby and as good as Blue is, she can't sense people's emotions when they're too far away unless she's bonded to them, that it was Ed's feelings she was sensing."

"That makes sense," Shiro said after a couple of moments of absorbing the information. "I've noticed she's the quickest out of the Lions to react to someone in distress, with the exemption of their own Lion, of course," he added almost offhandedly before he shook his head as though to clear it. "However – and I apologise if this sounds insensitive – I'm not sure I quite understand what this has to do with your feelings towards us, Alphonse," Shiro said, wincing a little at his wording.

"How would you feel if the person who you shared every aspect of your life with and shared everything with you suddenly started sharing things they hadn't shared outside of you with people they'd known for a week at most?" Lance asked. Both Blue and Black looked proudly at Lance while Al and Shiro looked approving and shocked, respectively.

"I see your point," Shiro said, clapping Lance on the shoulder before he locked eyes with Alphonse. "We don't want to replace you and Edward would never put us or anyone else over you," Shiro told him. "I won't break your brother's confidence with what he's told me and I know the Lions won't either. They're much like Ed in regard to keeping their word," Shiro said, giving Alphonse a small smile. "But, Alphonse, we have no intention of taking your brother away from you. And I'm sure," Shiro said, raising a brow when Al opened his mouth to say something, "you rationally know that but _emotionally_ is a whole different ballpark. From what Ed and you have told us about your childhood, the only friends you had your age while growing up were Winry and each other. It's completely natural and understandable that you're protective of your emotional ties, especially when you're as close as you and Edward are," Shiro told him.

"Yeah, man, we get it," Lance said, voice far more cheerful than it had been since Ed had had his panic attack. "We don't expect you to like us straight off the bat just because we're Ed's friends but – and I can really only speak for myself and Blue here – I would really prefer it if we all got along with no issues and maybe even become friends in the process," Lance said enthusiastically.

"I think that goes for all of us," Shiro said, giving both Lance and Al a smile of his own.

" _Our sisters and I agree,"_ Black told Shiro, who told both Al and Lance.

Al gave them all a tired nod. "I am sorry for my behaviour. You're right, Shiro," Al said, glancing at the Black Paladin before speaking to the room as a whole once more. "Rationally I know that you guys aren't trying to – to steal Ed away from me. I _know_ how childish that sounds; trust me, I know." Al gave a cynical sounding laugh. "But when Ed told me that he voluntarily told you about his nightmares and what his three most frequent ones are, all I could think was that he wouldn't need me anymore because he'll have you guys to talk to," Al confessed. "But I promise I will work on my problems so they're aren't issues anymore," Al promised. "I am very sorry about my behaviour though. It was uncalled for and completely unnecessary and Ed was right. If I didn't deal with before we came across Lotor next, something could've happened. I'd like to think it wouldn't have but I also didn't think I'd act like this towards people who are Ed's friends and Ed's friends alone," Al said with a small chuckle.

"We appreciate the apology, Alphonse, and we accept it but it wasn't necessary. We understand now why we were copping the slight attitude so there's nothing to apologise for," Shiro said. "Thank you for clearing the air with us." Shiro gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah, it means a lot that you trusted us enough to tell us this," Lance said. "We know you're as stubborn as Ed can be on his good days. If you didn't trust us even a little, you wouldn't have said _nada_ and it wouldn't have mattered what Ed ordered or asked you to do," Lance told them in response to Al's and Shiro's intrigued looks.

"That's fair," Al said with a light chuckle. "We are pretty well known in Amestris for our stubbornness," he told them.

"That we can believe," Shiro said with a wry smile that made the four others chuckle slightly. "So what about we put all of this behind us and start fresh?" he suggested.

Al gave him a tentative smile. "I think I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 20 for you and we finally get to the bottom of Al's issues with Voltron! Also please note that I have never personally suffered a panic attack or a PTSD episode so all I could off in that scene were things I'd researched. If you think it's inaccurate in any way, please comment or pm me and let me know what I need to fix. Thank you so much to those of you who have left me a comment. I appreciate it more than you will ever know! See you all next week!


	21. Chapter 21

"Remind me why we didn't head straight to Kaumafy?" Pidge asked grumpily as she slumped slightly in her chair. "That soldier said he _saw_ Lotor on the outskirts of the town!"

"Because that lead was hours old," Ed explained as he and Brookes went over the reports in front of them. "Kaumafy is an hour's drive from Resembool. By the time we got down there and came back, we would've lost a whole day on a lead that is nearly a day old itself. We need to stay here until we get one more recent," he reminded her, face twisting in sympathy when the Green Paladin groaned in boredom.

"I finally understand Mustang's aversion to paperwork," Lance muttered as he helped Ed and Brookes sort through the papers in front of them. "You guys only put the alert out about Lotor last night! How are there so many tips already?" he complained.

"If Mustang hears you bitching about paperwork, he'll feel justified in his complaints and neither Miss Riza nor I will be happy if he does," Ed warned him, pointing a threatening finger at him that had half the table grinning at him. "We've gotten so many tips because people in Amestris are nosey fuckers." Al's hissed 'brother!' went ignored as Ed continued unperturbed. "They all hear that the military wants helps catching a dangerous criminal and suddenly the neighbour they hate is definitely hiding a fugitive in their shed or the shifty person they saw down the street while they were shopping probably knows who we're looking for," Ed said, rolling his eyes to match the exasperated tone of his voice.

"Yeah, it's the same where we're from but you guys don't have the technology to spread this information everywhere quickly, do you? Not like we do?" Lance asked, eyes flicking to Brookes uncertainly.

"He knows as much as Grumman does," Ed reminded Lance, causing Brookes to look up from his reports before he went back to them when he realised they were talking about him, not to him, "and we have our radio systems and newspapers. The military outposts in whatever town that has a broadcasting station gives the hosts the information we give them and they broadcast that info every so often. I think it's every hour for this case since Lotor is so dangerous," Ed told them before shrugging unconcernedly, "and the newspapers were given the sketch of Lotor and ordered to make it front page news on the next edition to be printed," Ed said. "Since there's nothing else to listen to or read, almost everyone will have gotten the information from the news last night and seen the picture of Lotor this morning. Anyone who doesn't listen to the radio or read the newspaper will have heard about our search by now because each town will be talking about absolutely nothing else for the next week, at least," Ed informed them.

"Edward, I think we've got something here," Brookes said, interrupting their conversation as he all but threw a report into Ed's face. "This soldier reports that a farmer just north of Meox spotted someone closely matching Lotor's description heading through the woods on his neighbour's property. At first, the farmer thought it _was_ his neighbour until he called out a friendly greeting that startled the figure into looking up and he saw the purple skin and white hair. The figure took off into the woods and the farmer lost sight of them. It took the farmer twenty minutes to make the report since he had to go into town – no phone on his property – but by the time he had and the MP's started their search, they'd lost him," Brookes explained even as Ed read the report.

"Meox is only a three-ish hour drive from Resembool. He _could_ have covered that distance in under 24 hours if he didn't stop for a break," Ed said, not sounding overly convinced Lotor would've. "The report goes on to say the MP's tracked the suspect going in a relatively north direction," Ed said, golden eyes devouring the words. "If Lotor didn't gather any supplies in Kaumafy, he might have to stop soon to stock up. If he has a map of the country or at least the eastern side of Amestris, he could go west to Metso, north to Keog or go into East City itself," Ed told them.

"I doubt he'd risk East City," Brookes said, lips pursing as he spoke. "He _could_ go west to Metso, as you said. From there, he'd be able to go north straight to Central. There wouldn't be any villages or towns in his way if he did but Keog is smaller than Metso and I don't think there's much of a military presence there, if I remember correctly," Brookes went on to say, eyes glazing over slightly as he tried to recall any information he knew about the small village east of Central. "Maybe a three- or four-man team at most," he said. "If he went there, he'd be able to stock up quickly without much risk of being caught by a MP officer, especially if he allowed himself to be sighted a little ways out of town and doubled back into town while the MP's were busy tracking his false trail. Once done, he'd just slip away," Brookes added.

Ed screwed up his face in a way that told everyone he had an issue with something Brookes had said. "I don't think we should take into consideration how well manned our outposts are because there's no way for Lotor to get that information unless he watches each outpost or stumbles across a soldier who has that information and gets it from them," Ed pointed out. "I mean, _I_ don't even know how many soldiers and MP's we've got stationed in outposts and bases and I doubt Mustang or his teams do either. Investigations' teams or high-ranking officers like Grumman might be the only ones who know that information, or could at least hazard a guess," Ed added thoughtfully.

"Well, we've established there are really only three options available to Lotor and we've ruled out East City as too big a risk for him, right?" Al asked and both Ed and Brookes nodded. "Do we have a list of what he got in Kaumafy, if he got anything at all?" he asked and Brookes dug through their reports.

"Ah," he said as he scanned the paper, "it says here that a grocery store reported they'd been broken into. They did inventory the previous evening so they did another that morning when they realised they'd been broken into and only found four days' worth of rations and a large water bottle missing. Later on, the camping store in Kaumafy also reported they'd been broken into but all they could find missing was a sleeping bag, torch, fire-staring kit, hunting knife, a map of Amestris, and three sets of clothing, including a heavy coat normally sold during winter months," Brookes told him.

"So would four days' worth of rations be enough to get him to either Metso or Keog?" Lance asked, eyeing up the map in front of Ed.

"Well, it would be just enough for a human to get to Metso but not Keog," Ed told them. "And that's assuming he's able to cover the same amount of distance I can during a day," he added. "I don't know what kind of training he's had or what his stamina is like and that little scuffle we had in Resembool told me nothing useful about that sort of thing," Ed said, a little annoyed.

"Well, I know that Allura and Coran have amazing stamina," Shiro said, frowning in thought, "but we've never really tested them to see how good they are in survival situations like this. It's always been _them_ testing _us_ ," he said.

"My work with the Blades has shown me that they're quite capable of pushing themselves to go further than should be possible without much sustenance," Keith piped up. "Their stamina is on par with what we've seen from Allura and Coran and I've heard a few of them talk about what their training was like before they defected from Zarkon. If Lotor received the same training, he would be completely capable of covering that distance in good time," Keith told them.

"So what does his stealing four days' worth of rations tell you about his stamina?" Ed asked Keith directly.

Keith contemplated for a moment. "None of the Blades took more rations than they absolutely needed," Keith said slowly. "Part of that was because they didn't have an endless supply of food like the Galra did but I've never once seen or heard of a Blade having to scrounge for their own food or steal food from someone when their mission wound up taking longer than expected. Whatever rations they'd taken from the headquarters lasted them long enough for them to get back, no matter how long their mission ran over for," Keith told them. "So, if Lotor took four days' worth of rations, I'd expect them to last him four days at least. He has a map of Amestris and I assume he knows how to use it or he wouldn't have bothered taking it," Red and Lance huffed slightly in amusement, "so if he can get to Metso in four days' time but not Keog, I'd put my money on Metso," Keith said, nodding once in agreement with his own words.

"But if he can manage to stretch those rations out, he might make it to Keog inside a week," Brookes pointed out. "If his stamina is that good and he can make his rations last longer than he should, it could happen," he added a touch defensively when Red looked a little insulted on Keith's behalf.

"He could also hunt his own game and forage for food along the way," Ed argued. "He took a hunting knife and he has that rifle of his," Ed said. "It probably wouldn't be much good for taking out a deer considering how much damage it did to the trees in Resembool he hit but if he used it to injure the animal before finishing it off with the knife, he'd be able to get fresh food that way so maybe he wouldn't need to go into a town at all," he told them.

"Unless he wants to know what's happening," Lance commented pointedly.

Hunk nodded beside Lance. "Yeah, it makes sense for Lotor to go into a town to try and gather intel on what the military is doing about him," he said, defending Lance's comment. "There's no way he didn't figure out you and Mustang were military. Both the Alteans and Galrans have really good hearing and he would as well. You said that you and Mustang were talking about Generals Combes and Widdon and that you mentioned Central. It wouldn't have taken much for Lotor to realise you're military and this is where you're based," Hunk said.

"Yeah so it makes sense that he'd want to know what was happening, especially since he tried to murder the two of you and didn't succeed," Pidge said, joining the Blue and Yellow Paladins' train of thought. "He'd be an idiot not to. He's in a foreign country with no ally within reach while his enemy are backed up by the country's entire military. If I were in his shoes, I'd be trying to suss out all the info on you lot and your plans on dealing me I could," Pidge said rationally.

Ed nodded at their words and found he wasn't the only Amestrian doing so. "What if we send out two teams tomorrow? One to head to Metso and one to Keog. In a car, they should get there well before he does," Brookes suggested.

"That could work," Ed said, pulling out his pocket watch and eyeing the time. "No one in Mustang's second team will be in today since it's their day off but if we arrange for everyone to meet here at, say, 7:00am, we'd have enough time to brief them and see if I can't steal a couple so your team isn't split three ways between Metso, Keog and here," Ed said. "I can take Havoc as a driver for a team and I think Valentine acts as Lambert's team's driver so he could take the second team, if you want, Brookes?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, that would be good," Brookes said. "Williams is normally my team's driver but he's working on a case right now and I'd rather not pull him out in the middle of it," Brookes said with an apologetic grimace that Ed immediately waved away.

"All good," Ed told him. "I'm sure Havoc and Valentine will be happy enough for the chance to waste a few hours driving a team somewhere," Ed said with a small smirk.

"I'm sure you're right," Brookes said, a matching grin on his face. "I can loan you Lieutenant Clarke for the day, if you want an Investigations officer with you though?" he asked.

"Clarke? She's the one who almost stabbed Havoc when he asked her on a date right?" Ed asked and Brookes blanched at the memory.

"Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea," Brookes said, getting agreeing nods from most everyone in the room but Ed shook his head.

"Nah, she can go with Valentine," Ed said easily. "She's a great investigator and she'd be a good addition to whichever team she's on. Are you sure you can spare her for the day though?" Ed asked, knowing full well how protective commanding officers were over their soldiers, especially ones of Clarke's and Hawkeye's calibres.

"If she goes with Valentine, definitely," Brookes said. "I don't want to be the one to explain to General Mustang why his 1st lieutenant was stabbed by mine on a mission for us," he said with a slight shudder as he imagined that particular conversation.

"I think you'll find that Captain Hawkeye would be more than able to point out why exactly Mustang shouldn't get too mad at you or Clarke if she did do that," Ed said. "The amount of times Mustang's probably been almost stabbed for flirting with some poor woman likely rivals Havoc's by an extreme amount," he said with a shrug that had several people in the room coughing to cover up their amusement while a familiar sigh sounded from Al.

" _I think I would be far more surprised if you were proven wrong about that than I am with your claims,"_ Blue said with a small hum. Her words had her sisters nodding in agreement.

"In his defence, he has become a lot better in that department after his promotion to Brigadier-General," Al said, finding himself unable to not rise to Mustang's aide while the man himself wasn't there to do so.

"I suppose you have a point," Ed said, expression twisting into a grimace as though he couldn't quite believe he'd just defended Mustang even a little.

Brookes decided it was best to get the conversation back on track. "So we'll have Lieutenant Clarke and Sergeant Valentine on one team and Lieutenant Havoc on the other," he said, capturing everyone's attention once more. "Who else do you want on the teams?" he asked Ed.

"Well, we shouldn't really send more than four people – Lions excluded – to each town," Ed said. "The cars wouldn't be big enough for that many and I doubt Grumman would let us take another truck and waste the fuel on two trips that will likely end up with us back in Central empty-handed," he added pessimistically. The combined efforts of him, Green, Yellow, Mustang and Den hadn't been enough to bring Lotor down in Resembool and he doubted that anything less than every member of Voltron _plus_ the alchemists and their teams here would be enough to capture him in any other town. "If I go with Havoc and Al goes with Clarke and Valentine so each team has got a capable alchemist," Ed looked at Al, who didn't look happy but nodded, "that leaves one Voltron team with Al and two with me. Who wants to go?" Ed asked, looking at the Lions and their pilots expectantly.

"As much as I wanna nominate me and Green," Pidge said and Green immediately whined in displeasure, "I discovered last night that your city's electricity supply isn't as fast as ours back on Earth or the Castle-Ship. Mustang's agreed to either take me or have someone from his team escort me to any mechanical or technological stores you have so I can find the parts I need to build an electricity convertor. With that, I should be able to use more electricity quicker while in Mustang's house so I can finish work on your tablet. I still have stuff to do with it and I can't tell how well the convertor will work so I can't say for certain that I'll have it built by tonight and your tablet's upgrades finished," Pidge told Ed, doing a marvellous job to look unaffected by Green's pleading expression.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked and Pidge gave a nod that led to Green huffing in disappointment. "Okay, that's you two out," Ed said before he looked at the other four teams for their responses.

"Hunk and Yellow can go with Alphonse, if that's alright with the three of them?" Shiro said, deciding to take charge in the decision making so no arguments could break out.

"We're okay with that," Hunk said while Yellow nodded.

"I don't have any problems with them coming with me, Sergeant Valentine and Lieutenant Clarke," Al said and Ed found himself feeling quite a bit of relief. It seemed that forcing Al to talk with Lance and Shiro last night had not only paid off the night before but still seemed to be paying off today as there wasn't a single ounce of tension or unhappiness in Al's expression or body language as he looked over at Hunk and Yellow to give them a warm smile.

"So that's Al's team sorted," Ed said. "Who's coming with me and Havoc?"

"If you think you two can handle Lance and Keith, they can go with you while Black and I stay here to help Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and/or General Mustang," Shiro told them. Both Keith and Lance looked an interesting mix of offended, excited, and faux non-plussed about going with Ed and Havoc while Red and Blue looked ecstatic about it.

"Works for me," Ed said with a nod. "Are you sure you wanna be stuck here with Mustang for company though?" Ed asked Shiro, ignoring Al's sigh from behind him.

"I think we'll manage it," Shiro assured him, eyes betraying the amusement his flat tone had tried to hide.

" _I can always threaten him if he gets too annoying,"_ Black suggested enthusiastically.

"Mustang or Shiro?" Ed asked without missing a beat, gaining himself a heatless glare from Shiro and chuckles that were quickly stifled from the self-named Garrison trio.

" _Shiro is_ never _annoying,"_ Black said, causing Shiro's lips to lift slightly in a smug smirk before he remembered himself, _"most of the time,"_ Black continued saying, giving Shiro her own smirk when he immediately made a protesting noise that was practically drowned out by the snorts from the others whose Lions were transcribing the conversation for their Paladins while Lance was whispering what Blue told him to Al and Brookes since they didn't have a bond with any Lions, _"but I was talking about Mustang,"_ Black said, eyes twinkling at Shiro playfully.

"How high is your threshold for annoying?" Ed asked curiously. "Oi!" he snapped when Al smacked his flesh shoulder. His glare didn't seem to affect Al any.

"Black is _not_ allowed to attack General Mustang for no reason," Alphonse said sternly, making sure his firm gaze pinned both his brother and the Lion in question.

"It wouldn't be for no reason," Ed argued, "and she didn't say she'd _attack_ him; just that she'd threaten him," he reminded his younger brother, who did not look overly impressed with his argument.

"You and I both know that the Lions still aren't fans of General Mustang's and with how close they are to you in personality, you'll have to forgive me for thinking Black will take any possible excuse," Al said, his brow raised in a dare for Ed to argue with him.

Black looked rather offended but had to say _"he's probably not wrong,"_ to Ed, albeit she did so begrudgingly.

"Since we have the teams sorted," Brookes said, obviously trying to steer the conversation back to their mission, "which one will be going where?" he asked.

"My team will go to Metso while Al's will go to Keog," Ed said immediately.

"Are you sure you want to make Havoc all the way to Metso? After how much driving he did yesterday and the day before?" Al asked, looking worried for the 1st lieutenant.

Ed hummed in thought. Havoc hadn't seemed overly excited about driving them back to Gracia's the night before and seemed very eager to get back to his and out of the car so it stood to reason that he wouldn't want to drive the several hours to Metso then back to Central in the same day. "We _could_ take the train to Kadayr then take a car to Metso," Ed said, not sounding overly enthused about the idea. "I'm not sure the civilians are _quite_ ready to travel with the Lions on a train though," he said.

"Well, your team could go to Keog instead," Al suggested.

"Actually, if you wanted to go to Metso, Ed, you could take the back roads," Brookes said, looking at the map. "Havoc wouldn't have to drive through all these towns," he said, gesturing to the line that connected Central to Rush Valley, "since there's unpaved roads that connect the old slums to one another," Brookes told them. "I think Kanama connected to Mefzaum by a dirt road and there was one that headed south, connecting to a couple of other slums that were established but never added to the official maps, before it connected to Emiruy. From there, Havoc would only have to drive half an hour to get to Metso," Brookes told him, his finger tracing where the road he was talking about ran.

"Right, because the military supposedly was going to run supplies to the surviving Ishvalens and anyone else who lived in the slums to show that they were saddened about having to take such drastic measures against the Ishvalens to settle the war," Ed said, his screwing up into a scowl that was reflected by Al and Brookes, "so they needed to make it look like they were going to provide some sort of help for the refugees and our own citizens since some of those in the slums were Amestrians who were homeless for whatever reason until they could integrate into society," Ed said with a sour tone.

"I take it they didn't?" Lance asked, his tone subdued far more than it usually was.

"From what I remember," Brookes said, taking over for the blonde, "they did do a few charitable supply runs in the first few months after the war but then Fuhrer Bradley started limiting how many supply runs were done every month and continued doing so until they were stopped altogether, citing how he couldn't justify the money and supplies the military was spending when we had fights breaking out on the borders with Aerugo and Creta every other month, saying that the soldiers on the frontlines needed those supplies more than some refugees," Brookes told them.

"There was a charitable organisation or two who tried to keep supplying the slums with food, hygiene supplies, and other items donated by the public but they struggled to reach every slum," Brookes went on to say. "Slums in the far ends of the country rarely got given supplies unless the towns closest to them had items they could spare. Most of the time, those in the slums had to work for farmers at crop harvesting time or to random jobs around the closest town in exchange for supplies for themselves or their families, if they had any," Brookes told them.

"However the roads were constructed and they have been somewhat maintained by people using them for horse-drawn carts or travel between slums on foot," Ed said, getting the subject away from the disgusting way the Ishvalen refugees and even Amestris' own homeless were treated under Wrath's reign and back on why they had originally brought up the slums, "so Havoc shouldn't have to drive for as long as he would if we had to make our way down to Rush Valley and go through Mefzaum to get to Metso. We'd cut half the travel time by using the back roads," Ed said but Al didn't look too convinced. "We could ask Havoc if he's up for that trip," Ed suggested, trying to get a compromise.

Keith had said he'd put money on Lotor making his way to Metso and Ed was willing to trust the Red Paladin's judgement. Ed didn't want his little brother going up against Lotor without the whole Voltron team and their teams. In fact, the only reasons he wasn't keeping Al in Central with Shiro and Black was because he was a phenomenal fighter and a brilliant alchemist. While he knew Hunk's bayard was a powerful weapon and that Yellow, Clarke and Valentine would be very capable in a fight, Alphonse would be their heavy hitter or the one who'd best be able to cover their retreat if they did run into Lotor while in Keog. He couldn't put Clarke, Valentine, Hunk and Yellow at risk by denying them the strength Al could bring them just because he'd rather his little brother not be in danger at all.

"Okay, Brother," Al said, agreeing to Ed's compromise.

"Would you be able to find out now?" Brookes asked, a touch pushily. "I'd like to let Lieutenant Clarke know what her duties are and how long she is likely to be gone for as soon as possible since she may have to make arrangements with her family since I believe her husband works on Sunday nights so she may need some time to find a babysitter for her daughter," Brookes explained, trying to justify his pushiness.

"Yeah, shouldn't be an issue," Ed said. "Unless Havoc's taken after our boss, he should be in the office," he added with a shrug, once again ignoring Al's exasperated 'brother!' from behind him. "I'll go see if I can catch him now, if you're all alright waiting here?" Ed asked the group.

"Yeah, I'm good," Al said while Brookes and the Paladins nodded.

" _Can we go with you?"_ Blue asked, batting her eyes up at Ed who only gave her a deadpan look in response to her blatant attempt to manipulate him.

"You do realise I don't need a five Lion escort to walk three offices down, don't you?" Ed asked, brow raised questioningly.

" _We know but that's not the point. We plan on spending as much time with you as we possibly can while we're hunting down Lotor and waiting for Princess Allura and the Holts to find a way to bring us back to them,"_ Blue informed him rather bluntly and Ed fought hard not to blush. He wasn't quite sure he succeeded with the grins that formed on Lance's, Hunk's, and Al's faces.

"Fine," Ed said, sighing out the word like he was exhausted, "some of you can come with me. First three at the door," Ed said. His words caused all five Lions to immediately scramble for the door in a hilarious fashion that had everyone cracking grins at them before Black and Blue slunk back to their pilots in defeat. "I guess Yellow, Green, and Red will be going with me," Ed said as the three Lions in question grinned smugly where they stood. "We'll be back in like ten minutes unless someone convinces us to join them on a lunch run, in which case the Lions will advise you of where, how long, and get your lunch orders, if you want food," Ed told them.

"Have fun," Shiro said, still looking faintly amused at how put out Black looked. "Try and stay out of trouble," came the familiar words that had Ed rolling his eyes.

"I'm literally going three offices down," Ed said as he headed for the waiting Lions and let them out of the office. "How much trouble could I get in?" he asked before he gave them a wave and closed the door behind him.

* * *

" _To answer your question; that much trouble,"_ Red drawled as Ed fought to keep the disbelief off his face as he watched Fuhrer Grumman, Generals Combes and Widdon and the four soldiers who acted as Grumman's guards walk towards him while he was literally three feet from Mustang's office.

"Good morning, Fuhrer Grumman," Ed greeted politely, pairing it with the salute protocol demanded he use when addressing the Fuhrer. "Shush you," Ed added silently to Red, who merely grinned at him.

"Ah, good morning, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said, looking a bit relieved and vaguely annoyed. "Good morning to the three of you as well," Grumman said, addressing the three Lions who had accompanied Ed.

" _I've told Black and she'll tell Shiro,"_ Yellow told Ed, who scratched her once behind the ear in thanks. He noted the two generals had clocked the movement but decided it was best for everyone if he just ignored them.

"So is this just a random coincidence that we're running into you here or are you after Mustang?" Ed asked Grumman. The lips of the generals curled up in distaste, though Ed wasn't sure if it was because of his casual attitude or the mention of Mustang. Either way, Ed didn't care a single bit.

"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you," Grumman told him and Ed's brows shot up in surprise.

"Er, okay," Ed said. From the expression on Grumman's face, Ed didn't think he was in trouble for something but the smug glints in the generals' eyes made him doubt himself momentarily. "Is it alright if I just duck into Mustang's office first? I need to ask Havoc something, if he's in there. After that, we can go back to the office Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes, Voltron, and I stole," Ed suggested, looking directly at Grumman for an answer.

Both generals tensed up, as though they were about to snap at Ed but both the Lions pinning them with a half-threatening look and Grumman speaking had them staying quiet. "Of course, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said. "The matter I need to discuss with you isn't urgent," he said and if Ed wasn't mistaken, there was some contempt in Grumman's tone that was aimed towards the generals when he said that.

"Sweet. I'll only be a minute," Ed said before he looked at the three Lions. "Come on," he said to them, making sure to speak out loud.

Ed walked around the group, ignoring the generals as they glowered at him while he knocked on the outer office door. The call for him to enter came from Hawkeye and Ed opened the door to find everyone watching the doorway expectantly. The three Lions were sitting around him and – although they chuffed out some greetings to the group – their eyes never left the generals. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Hawkeye greeted and Ed wasn't surprised to realise that the blonde captain had figured out he wasn't alone in the hallway.

"Hey, Captain, I just need to ask Havoc something real quick," Ed told her. Her nod was all the permission Ed needed to do so. "Are you up to driving me, the Red team and Blue team of Voltron to Metso tomorrow? We figured if we take the back roads through Kanama and the other slums, we'll knock half the driving time off," Ed said to Havoc.

"Shouldn't be a problem, Lieutenant-Colonel," Havoc said, grinning when Ed glared at him for the use of his title. "This got something to do with Lotor?" he asked curiously and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, we've got some reports of him getting supplies in Kaumafy and Voltron believes they'll last him maybe four days. If he's heading north, which we're inclined to think he is, he'll have to restock at either Metso or Keog or risk running out before he gets to Central," Ed told him. "Al's gonna head another team and go to Keog for me," he said before anyone could ask.

"What time are you planning on leaving?" Hawkeye asked and Ed hummed.

"Well, I want to ask Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and see if she'll loan us Sergeant Valentine for the day so he can take Al and the others to Keog and I think they're normally in around 7:00am on a Sunday so we'll probably leave here soon after that," Ed told her.

"I'll let General Mustang know for you," she told him and Ed gave her a smile.

"Thanks, Captain," he said before flicking them all a wave. "I gotta go. I'll see you all later probably," Ed said, knowing full well that one of the team will be sent to the office he and Brookes had commandeered to tell him that Mustang had ordered him – and probably Voltron – to his office to discuss something. Several goodbyes preceded him closing the door, making sure not to get Green's tail caught as he did so since he knew the Lion would not appreciate it.

"Is there anything else so important that you need to deal with it now or are you able to sacrifice a few minutes out of your busy schedule to discuss an important matter with the Fuhrer and us?" Combes asked, his voice dripping with condescension as he glared at Ed.

"Thank you _so_ much for asking, General Combes. That's real considerate of you," Ed said, making sure his voice was laced with just as much sarcasm as possible while keeping the fake smile plastered in place, even if he didn't bother resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "The office we're using is three doors down, Sir," Ed said, ignoring the glare he was getting from Combes as he addressed Grumman.

"Thank you, Lieutenant-Colonel. If you wouldn't mind leading the way?" Grumman asked, apparently deciding that Ed's sarcasm was acceptable considering it had been Combes who started it. Ed nodded and turned on his heel, letting the Lions fan out in front of him before he fell into step with Grumman. "I meant to ask but did Mrs. Hughes agree to house some of the Voltron members after all?" Grumman queried.

"Yeah, the Blue and Black teams are staying with us," Ed told him. "Oh, did I remember to tell you that Scar would be at the Promised Day memorial service?" Ed asked, choosing to ignore the soft scoff he heard from one of the generals behind him. Red, however, didn't let it go and gave a displeased growl.

"Yes, you did," Grumman told him and Ed gave a small sigh of relief. "I'd like to hold a meeting with you, Alphonse, Brigadier-General Mustang, his team, and a few others who played an integral role in Promised Day in ten days' time. Will that be a problem for you and your brother?" Grumman asked as they came to a stop outside the office Ed had been leading them to.

"Nah, I don't think so unless something happens with Lotor," Ed told him after a moment's contemplation.

"Wonderful. I'll let you know a time and date once I speak with Samantha. Of course, I'll understand if the meeting is postponed because of our foreign criminal," Grumman said, "but I have faith that you and Voltron will have the matter sorted by then," Grumman told him, giving Ed a warm smile that was almost ruined by the disbelieving snorts Combes and Widdon gave. Before Ed could do or say anything to them, Grumman turned to face them. "Is there something the two of you would like to say?" he asked levelly.

"No, Fuhrer Grumman," they both said at the same time.

"Then perhaps you have a cough or a tickle in your throats that you were trying to get rid of?" Grumman inquired. "If so, please do go and find yourselves something to drink. I'd hate for your throat issues to keep making themselves known," Grumman said. Ed could feel his delighted amusement echoed by the Lions and reflected in the eyes of the four soldiers with them at the way both Combes and Widdon were turning an embarrassed red.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman, but we're okay. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Widdon said, sounding like he was forcing himself not to grit his teeth as he spoke.

"Marvellous," Grumman said before he turned back to Ed and nodded to the door, given Ed silent permission to open it.

Ed was considerate enough of those inside to knock on the door twice before he entered it – mainly so he didn't have to explain why no one inside looked surprised to have the door open unexpectedly. "Heads up," Ed said, in a way one could've considered an attempt at trying not to be overheard but just failing to achieve that goal.

"Fuhrer Grumman, Sir!" Brookes said, snapping to a perfect salute the moment he could. "General Widdon, General Combes," he added respectfully, dropping his salute when Grumman nodded for him to do so.

"Fuhrer Grumman, it's great to see you again," Shiro said, speaking on behalf of his team and giving Grumman a genuine smile. No one missed the uncertain side-glances the generals got from Voltron however and Ed could see that the two idiot generals were having to hold themselves back from commenting, likely knowing that someone (probably Ed) would merely suggest it was only because the foreigners had no reason to trust the generals.

"Hello, Fuhrer Grumman," Al said, giving the older man a wave paired with a smile. Grumman had been forced to request that Al stopped saluting him like his brother did since he wasn't part of the military and he didn't want to cause anyone any confusion. Al did abide by his request though Ed still sometimes caught him making the aborted movements to do so.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen, ladies, and Lions," Grumman said pleasantly, granting each of them a warm smile before he allowed it to be replaced with a more serious expression. "As much as I wish this was a social visit, it isn't," Grumman told them.

"Figured as much since you have those two in tow," Ed said, leaning against the edge of the table and folding his arms in front of his chest in a casual manner. Green, Yellow, and Red had gone back to their pilots but all five Voltron units were switching between watching Ed, Grumman, and the generals. "What's up, Sir?" Ed asked.

"Generals Widdon and Combes requested a meeting with myself this morning and an hour ago we held it," Grumman told him, looking as thrilled as Ed sounded with the aforementioned generals in his presence. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, would you mind telling me what happened yesterday afternoon after you left my office?" Grumman requested.

Ed looked a little surprised and confused but did as he was asked. "We headed to Mustang's offices so we could introduce them to the teams," Ed said, gesturing to Voltron, "but then Al, Blue, Lance, Hunk, Yellow, and I needed to leave straight after the introductions to meet with Major Armstrong so I could describe Lotor to him in order for us to have a sketch to give the teams, military outposts, and newspapers," Ed recounted. "Once we finished with the Major, the six of us headed out the front gates of the base and were greeted by Sergeant Browning from the carpool. General Mustang had arranged for him to drive us to Mustang's house where we planned to have dinner and introduce Voltron to the Hughes'," Ed explained and Grumman gave a nod.

"Before we'd headed for our appointment with Major Armstrong, I dropped in on Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert's team to ask them to meet us at the Bluebird Café since I knew they wouldn't be in today and I wanted them to have a sketch of Lotor," Ed told Grumman. "I asked Sergeant Browning to drive us there first so I could give them the sketch and give them any extra details of Lotor I could. Once I had done so, I left the Bluebird Café with the intention of rejoining those in the car and heading to Mustang's but someone bumped into me," Ed said. "When I looked up and saw their face, I recognised him from an open file 1st Lieutenant Greene had on his desk. The suspect was wanted in connection to the brutal assault of a State Alchemist and he recognised me. Showing the complete lack of intelligence he possessed, the suspect took off down the street and I followed in pursuit after calling for Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and Lieutenant Greene to back me up," Ed told them, scowling slightly at the memory of the completely unnecessary foot chase the previous afternoon.

"What I didn't realise or honestly expect was to see Blue and Yellow behind me when I glanced back to check if Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and Lieutenant Greene were following me," Ed said, making sure he sounded as though he was still a little shocked by it himself. He saw the twinkle in Grumman's eyes that told him the old man didn't believe a word of it. More satisfying was the glowers he was getting from the two generals. "When I realised they were there and that the people in the street were getting out their way a lot quicker than they were getting out of mine, I asked the two Lions to get ahead of me, hoping it would clear enough of a path that I could risk using alchemy without putting civilians in danger. They obliged and within seconds I was able to construct an earthen wall that the suspect ran straight into. The two Lions were kind enough to sit on either side of him to ensure he didn't escape while Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert, Lieutenant Greene, and everyone else who decided to join the chase caught up," Ed reported.

"Once the suspect was in cuffs, I deconstructed the wall, promised Lieutenant Greene and Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert the suspect's collar was theirs then those of us who had been on our way to Mustang's got back in the car and headed for his house," Ed said, wrapping up his tale. "Would you like me to tell you how the dinner went?" he asked casually, seemingly unaware of the annoyance radiating off of the two generals standing just behind Grumman.

"No, thank you, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly. "However, I would like to thank you for telling me about the arrest yesterday," Grumman said and Ed latched onto the opening the Fuhrer had given.

"No problems, Sir," Ed said with a shrug. "Outta curiousity though, why did you come all this way to ask me when you would've seen Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert's report tomorrow or Monday?" Ed asked.

" _Nosey,"_ Green accused amusedly.

"Like you aren't," Ed hissed back through their bond.

"As I said, Generals Combes and Widdon requested a meeting with me this morning and I was able to grant them one, which we held an hour ago," Grumman said. "They'd witnessed your pursuit of the suspect but their report differs slightly to yours," he told them. "I believe I will need Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert's report tomorrow to resolve this matter," Grumman said, sounding a touch exasperated and more than a little annoyed at this, which Ed couldn't fault him for.

"Okay, I gotta know what their version of events were," Ed said, almost burning with curiousity at what kind of ridiculous story the two morons in front of him had concocted.

"According to Generals Widdon and Combes, the Blue and Yellow Lions aggressively chased a seemingly random citizen down before pouncing on him after he had run into your alchemic wall. They then pinned him to the ground and behaved threateningly towards him," Grumman said. Ed could feel a boiling rage burn under his skin but he forced himself to only react by raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "In light of this incident, Generals Widdon and Combes decided to come to me and report the danger they believed faced the citizens of Amestris from the Lions and request that we secure them somewhere isolated from the public until such time as the ten of you leave for your home country," Grumman told them, nodding in understanding when he saw the outraged sparks in the eyes of most those in front of him.

"Well, at the moment, the only people who are in danger of suffering the Lions' wrath are Lotor and any person who makes our lives harder – be they a criminal who doesn't just surrender immediately to me or someone else," Ed said. His tone may have been casually thoughtful but Ed knew the generals had heard the subtle threat in his words. "However, we will comply with whatever action you deem necessary, Fuhrer Grumman," Ed said. "I'm sure you overheard me speaking with Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc before so you know that we plan on being back on base by 7:00am and leaving to pursue some leads by 8:00am hopefully. I can ask Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert to have her report ready and delivered to you before then, if you'd like?" Ed asked, enjoying the suspicious looks he was getting from the generals. He knew that the two had undoubtedly counted on Ed protesting the possible treatment of the Lions and using his reaction as further ammunition for their claims.

"I appreciate the offer, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, but I would rather your teams leave as soon as possible in the morning. I believe the matter of finding Lotor and apprehending him is a touch more important than this situation," Grumman said, his tone daring the generals to try and argue with his decision.

To Ed's hidden disappointment, the generals didn't rise to the bait, though they did look like they were chewing on a lemon as they held their tongues. "No problems, Fuhrer Grumman," Ed said easily.

"Now that this matter has been discussed as much as possible without the arresting officer's account, I'd like to ask you all a few more questions about your plans for tomorrow," Grumman said, looking at the group in front of him as a whole. "I'm sure the two of you have work that requires your attention so I'll wish you a good day, General Widdon, General Combes," Grumman said, facing the two in question.

It was obvious neither general wanted to leave but both knew they had no reason they could claim for staying to listen to their discussion. "Good day to you as well, Your Excellency," Widdon said, raising his right arm in a salute that was barely better than the ones Ed used when he had to salute Mustang. Combes' salute wasn't much better but Grumman didn't seem surprised or bothered by them as he dismissed the two of them.

Ed barely managed to resist the urge to flip the two off as they left the room and Ed just knew that if they had been the ones to shut the door instead of one of the soldiers standing guard, the poor door would've been slammed shut. "What are pair of fucking arseholes," Ed growled the moment the door was shut.

" _We couldn't agree more,"_ Black snarled disdainfully. Her sisters' expressions matched her own and so did the Paladins.

"I will freely admit a similar thought ran through my mind the moment they finished telling me their version of events yesterday," Grumman said, surprising Ed, Al, and Brookes somewhat, "however, I must remind you they are technically your superiors and you really can't talk about them like that within earshot of me or them," Grumman said, his eyes betraying his amusement at the situation.

"Yeah, I know," Ed sighed. "Until they do something that really shows their intelligence to a degree where you can fire them or I can hit them, I'll behave to the extent I normally do," Ed promised him.

"Good enough," Grumman said before anyone – namely Al – could protest Ed's language. "Now, I would like to know what you have been working on in here today but first I would like to apologise to the ten of you for what just happened," Grumman said, addressing Voltron. "Rest assured that the Lions will not be locked away somewhere while you're in our country but I was in the unfortunate position of needing the physical proof that the five of you truly aren't a danger to the average, law-abiding citizen of Amestris and I didn't have it on hand. It was all I could do to remind those two that their word didn't mean much after the Belmont case a few months ago so I would need the story from Edward as well," Grumman said, sounding truly apologetic.

"There is no need for your apology, Fuhrer Grumman, though it is appreciated," Shiro assured him. "We understand that you were in a tough spot and we are thankful that you managed to talk those two down long enough to get Ed's version and buy yourself until tomorrow before any decision has to be made," Shiro said.

" _Tell him we understand his predicament as well and that we are also grateful to him,"_ Black ordered Ed, who dutifully relayed the message to the Fuhrer.

"Thank you," Grumman said once more. "If someone wouldn't mind bringing me up to speed quickly, it would save Samantha the trouble of finding me so I'm not late to my next meeting and it would save _me_ the lecture I would receive from her," Grumman said after a couple of moments.

His comment made several of them chuckle. "Yeah, Miss Samantha is someone whose bad side I wouldn't want to get on," Ed said, still laughing lightly. "So this is what we've uncovered so far…"

* * *

"Right, so you have the choice between the pharmacy or the small, beauty store that Lieutenant Clarke told us about," Ed said as he, Al, and the entirety of Voltron headed off the command centre and towards the centre of town so Ed could fulfill his promise of buying Lance whatever he needed for his skin care routine. It was nearly mid-afternoon now and Ed was a little annoyed they hadn't been able to escape the base earlier but it couldn't have been helped what with needing to sort through the next day's plans, speaking with Mustang about what Grumman and the two generals had wanted (Ed hadn't grinned like a maniac when he was proven right, no matter what Al said) and making sure they weren't abandoning Brookes to doing a tonne of work by himself.

"Are the two stores near each other?" Lance asked, biting his bottom lip as he contemplated between his choices. Lieutenant Clarke had been surprised that a teenage boy had asked her about her skincare routine when Brookes had summoned her to their commandeered office to go over the next day's plans with her but she had readily giving Lance all the information he could want on the little store she'd found.

"I have no clue," Ed said honestly. "I never caught the address," he admitted. He had been more entertained by how Havoc had seemed intent on making sure Clarke was always out of arm's reach of him at all times. The blonde lieutenant still hadn't lived down the fact that he had almost been stabbed by the married lieutenant when he asked her out a few weeks ago, not realising, of course, that she was married.

"The store Lieutenant Clarke spoke about it a block away from the pharmacy," Al told Lance, rolling his eyes at his brother. "The pharmacy is closest to us right now," Al added, figuring Lance was about to ask something similar.

"Can we go there first and check out what they've got?" Lance asked and Ed gave a nod, not really caring which way they did this. His only goal out of this afternoon's outing was to eat at the Cretan restaurant nearby. "What are you guys gonna do while we're in there?" Lance asked the others curiously.

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked, brow furrowing slightly.

"Well, none of you enjoy shopping for skincare stuff or whatever so I figured you guys would be doing something else. Ed and Blue are already roped into going with me for obvious reasons," Lance said with a small shrug.

"Well, me and Yellow are going with you because I know you'll want opinions and Ed – no offense meant, dude – won't know jack about any of that stuff," Hunk said.

"Oh, none taken whatsoever," Ed assured the larger teen, more than willing to admit he had zero knowledge in this area.

"Plus, someone needs to make sure you don't accidentally spend all of the money in Ed's account," Hunk said knowingly.

"Completely valid but rude of you to point out, Hunky," Lance pouted. Hunk merely looked amused with his reaction.

"I can take the others on a tour around some other stores, if you guys want?" Al suggested. "I have Brother's bank details in case you want to buy anything," he added.

"I wouldn't mind having a look at a technology store," Pidge said thoughtfully, reminding all of them of her earlier explanation about why she and Green wouldn't be going with a team the next day. "It might help me understand more about where you guys are up to in terms of technology and what limitations I've got when it comes to my project," she said.

"I don't have any complaints about that idea," Shiro said and Keith nodded in agreement.

"If that's what you lot wanna do," Ed said with another shrug. "Don't spend all of my money because I do need some way to pay for lunch this afternoon," Ed reminded them, a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Ah yes, we wouldn't want to deal with you when you haven't eaten for a while," Al teased, grinning at himself before he yelped in pain and shock when Ed punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't sass me or I'll do worse," Ed threatened, pretending not to notice the stifled giggles around them and the unrestrained ones in his mind. Al grumbled at him while rubbing the stinging skin Ed had caused with his hit. "We'll meet at the Cretan restaurant near the park once everyone's done," Ed instructed, ignoring Al's mutters.

"How long do you think it'll take you to find everything, Lance?" Shiro asked the Blue Paladin.

"Should only take me an hour, maybe an hour and a half," Lance said after a few moments contemplation.

Shiro gave a nod at his words, as did Ed. "Alrighty, so we'll meet at the Cretan restaurant in an hour and a half," Ed said decisively, getting nods all around. "You guys make sure you stay with Al. I don't need you accidentally giving those two dickhead generals any ammunition to use against the Lions or you," Ed told them, his tone becoming serious.

"We will," Shiro promised while Pidge, Keith, and their three Lions nodded in agreement. "You guys keep yourselves out of trouble as well," he instructed.

Ed rolled his eyes fondly. "We will," he swore, knowing Shiro wouldn't leave it until he had.

"Yeah, we'll stay outta trouble, bossman," Lance said, voice light and cheerful while Hunk nodded. No one really commented on the fact that Shiro only relaxed when Hunk gave his nod.

" _Make sure you tell us if there's any trouble,"_ Black said and Ed gave her a nod.

"You do the same," Ed requested of her, Red, and Green and all three readily agreed. "See you guys soon," Ed said as they approached the corner that Al would lead the others around while he led Lance, Hunk, Blue, and Yellow straight on.

"See you soon," Al echoed before they headed down the block, leaving the five of them to wait for the traffic to clear long enough for them to cross the road.

Lance waited all of three seconds after Al's group had branched off before he nudged Ed. "So are you ready to let out the rant you've been holding in since the generals entered our office?" he asked, unashamedly hoping the answer was a resounding 'yes' and he wasn't disappointed.

"Can you believe the audacity of those two dickwads?!" Ed exploded as they crossed the street, startling a couple of already uneasy passers-by. Both Lance and Hunk shared a grin that was unknowingly echoed by Blue and Yellow. "Just the absolute gall on them to try that sort of shit after the stunts they pulled while Mustang was being framed is astounding!" Ed exclaimed ardently, oblivious to the amusement the four with him felt as they followed him up the street as he continued to passionately rant about the two generals and what he'd do to them, given half the chance. Lance, Hunk, and their Lions were more than happy to let the blonde get rid of some of his pent-up rage at the two generals and if they got some entertainment out of it, that was just an added benefit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks to those of you who were sweet enough to leave me a comment! Ngl, I've had a pretty rough week motivation wise and the chapter I'm trying to write is currently kicking my arse but I'm hoping it won't take me long to get out of this slump. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!


	22. Chapter 22

"Yellow wants me to tell you that Ed's team have just arrived in Metso," Hunk told Al, breaking the silence in the car for the first time since they'd left Central half an hour ago. Hunk kept his voice low enough that Al had to lean forward over the aforementioned Lion to hear his words.

Al gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "Knowing my brother's luck, we're gonna hear about his latest encounter with Lotor within the next few hours," Al said resignedly.

"That seems to be Ed's luck and honestly, the fact Lance is with him just makes it worse," Hunk said with a chuckle that Yellow echoed in his mind.

"From the stories Ed has passed on from you lot, I completely believe that," Al said, a wry grin on his face. They were keeping their conversation as quiet as possible because neither 1st Lieutenant Kylie Clarke or Sergeant Valentine knew the truth behind Voltron, how they'd originally met Ed and Mustang, or how they'd actually arrived in their country and both Ed and Mustang had informed Voltron that no one else was to be told the truth. Even Brookes had agreed – when Ed and Mustang had brought him up to speed a month after Belmont's arrest – to keep it from his team, with the exception of Sheska, who already knew.

"He holds the record for most visits to the medical wing," Hunk informed him, telling Al all he needed to know about Lance's luck. "Keith is a close second," Hunk told him.

"So what you're saying is that Ed chose the two worst people to accompany him on this mission out of your team?" Al asked and Hunk gave a nod. Al sank back into the car seat. "Wonderful. I feel as though I should have called the Central Hospital and warned them of Brother possibly needing to be admitted once he's back," Al muttered, causing both Hunk and Yellow to huff out some laughter.

"So, I know it was explained this morning but I don't think the caffeine had quite kicked in when it was," Hunk started saying, speaking louder so Clarke and Valentine could hear them, "but why did we leave so much later than Ed's team?" Hunk asked.

Clarke turned around slightly in her seat so she could face Hunk as she answered his question. "Metso is at least three hours outside of Central – assuming the backroads are still in driveable condition – while Keog is only an hour or so," she reminded him and Hunk gave an understanding but still confused nod.

"No, I remembered that part but wouldn't it have been easier for the two of you if we left this morning when Ed's team did? We could've been on our way back to Central by now and you guys wouldn't have had to find a way to waste a couple of hours before we did leave," Hunk said.

Clarke gave a nod. "Honestly? I would've preferred to leave early this morning so we didn't risk being in Keog too late," Clarke said and both Al and Hunk recalled Brookes mentioning she had a young child at home, "but Lieutenant-Colonels Brookes and Elric both decided that if the war criminal from your country was heading to Keog, he likely wouldn't be there until lunchtime at the earliest. The reason we left when we did was so that we could be in Keog if and when Lotor passed through it rather than being too early and leaving before he could turn up," Clarke informed him.

"Oh, that makes sense, I suppose," Hunk said, his curiousity on that matter satisfied for the moment. "So what happens when we get to Keog? I think Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes mentioned there only being a handful of soldiers stationed in Keog yesterday," Hunk said.

"Yes, that's right," Clarke told him. "Part of what I was doing before we left for this mission was research on the soldiers who man the outpost in Keog," Clarke said. Al, who had been paying attention, perked up a little more so Clarke took it as her cue to continue talking. "Because the village of Keog is only small – a population of just under 200, including those who live on farming properties – there are only ten soldiers stationed out there, with two groups of four soldiers manning the outpost for eight hours at a time, while the other two pulled the graveyard shift with two more soldiers on call, just in case of emergencies. There's no one ranked higher than a lieutenant-colonel stationed there," Clarke told them.

"I thought Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes said there were only three or four soldiers based out there?" Al said questioningly.

"Before Promised Day there were," Clarke told him, her light red hair glinting in what sunlight shone through the car windows as she turned a little more so she could face Al a little better. "Once everything settled down after Promised Day though Fuhrer Grumman sent extra soldiers to the smaller outposts to help the towns with any clean-up they needed," Clarke explained. "Since Keog is a small town made up mainly of farmers who had been in the middle of harvesting or farming when the nation-wide array happened, there was a lot of damage done by runaway tractors and other farm vehicles," Clarke continued saying and Al gave a nod. The story wasn't an uncommon one since it had been harvesting season for most of Amestris when Father had sacrificed every single Amestrian – his chosen five excepted. Most towns had suffered similarly, leaving properties torn up, equipment damaged and the farmers or unfortunate bystanders injured or killed by vehicles out of control.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive but wouldn't all that damage have been fixed by now? I mean it's been nearly a year since the Promised Day," Hunk asked, sounding a little worried someone would snap at him.

"Oh no, all the damage has been fixed according to the reports from Keog," Clarke told him, giving him a reassuring smile so he would relax. Yellow nudged Hunk's hand with her head in comfort, which he showed his appreciation for by scratching her ears. "The reason there are still ten soldiers there is because Keog is one of the few small towns where we rotate soldiers just so they get some experience in a small, rural town and can learn the culture difference between them and cities," Clarke said. "There's always a permanent team stationed in the town, anywhere from four to fifteen men, depending on the size of the population, but Fuhrer Grumman issued orders for a set number of soldiers to rotate through each town. For Keog, the permanent numbers of soldiers stationed there is four while six soldiers are rotated out every six months," Clarke told him.

"How long does this rotation have until they're out of Keog?" Al asked.

"Actually, they'll only be stationed there for another three weeks," Clarke told him. "After that, they'll likely return to Central and either assigned to an officer like I am to Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes or they'll be absorbed into different divisions, like as a driver in the military carpool or something similar that doesn't have them as part of a team like mine or General Mustang's," Clarke explained.

"Will they get a choice about where they end up?" Hunk asked curiously and Clarke nodded.

"They will get the opportunity to request positions," Clarke said. "They can either request a specific unit, like Investigations, or inform the person in charge of reassigning them that they have no qualms about where they end up and they'll be assigned to an open position that suits their rank and experience. For example, one of them may have come from South City and wishes to return there now that they've gotten the experience they want in Central. If there is a position for them there in the unit they request or there is a team needing another member that would be suitable for them, they'll be assigned to South City," Clarke told Hunk.

"Oh, that sounds a lot like what happens back home with our military," Hunk said.

"Did you bring those files with you by any chance?" Al asked, referring to the briefcase that sat next to Clarke's legs. "I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about them before we arrived," he explained before Clarke could question his request if she had been so inclined to do so.

"No," Clarke said regretfully. "I only have the documents and reports I need to help provide the soldiers in the Keog outpost with as much information on Lotor as possible," she told him.

"That's alright," Al assured her. "Can you remember specifics about those soldiers at all?" Al asked Clarke.

Clarke gave him a nod. "I can tell you what I remember from their files," Clarke told him. Al noticed Valentine glance at Clarke for a moment before he focused back on the road, betraying his own curiousity about the discussion that was about to happen. As Clarke began relaying what she'd read, Al twisted himself so he was able to face Clarke a little more comfortably as he listened to what she was saying, determined to try and remember it all.

* * *

"We're about to enter Keog," Valentine announced nearly forty minutes after Clarke had given everyone the information she could remember about the soldiers stationed at the outpost.

"Okay. Thanks for the heads up, Sergeant," Al said, stretching his arms and legs as best he could with Yellow lying on the floor between the two bench-styled seats he and Hunk were sitting on.

"You're welcome," came the response from Valentine and Al heard some sounds from the front seat that told him that Clarke was likely getting herself ready so she didn't look like she had been stuck in a car for 90-ish minutes.

Both Hunk and Yellow were peering out the window closest to them when Al glanced at them, seemingly keen to take in the view of the changing scenery. Al glanced out the window as well and found himself watching as the green grass, trees and flourishing crops pass them by. For a minute or so, all they saw was the countryside, broken up by the odd herd of cattle, sheep, or goats, and occasional horse, and the few houses, sheds, and barns that signified the land around it belonged to someone else. However, they soon began to see the signs of them approaching a settlement and soon enough, they were slowing down and navigating streets rather than unpaved roads.

As was usually the case, the military outpost sat nearly directly in the middle of town so Al, Hunk, Yellow, Clarke, and Valentine got a very good image of what the town was like. Despite all of his travels, Al was struggling to think of an established town that was smaller than Keog appeared to be. He'd only seen maybe twenty houses total, one pub/hotel, a small grocery store that seemed to double as a café, a small hairdressing salon, and the military outpost, which was where Valentine brought the car to a stop. When Al got out of the car, he saw there was a small school across the road as well as a small library situated next to it. Al knew there would likely be a produce store, mechanic, and farm equipment store located somewhere in the small town but for the main part, what they saw right now was everything of interest in the town.

"Lieutenant Clarke? Sergeant Valentine?" a voice queried, directing everyone's attention to the soldier walking towards them from the outpost. The man approaching them was of a similar build and weight of Falman but was closer in age to Havoc. His hair was the same colour as Lance's and Al could see he had brown eyes, like Sheska. There were crinkles at the corner of his eyes that told Al he wasn't always as serious as his current expression suggested and his tanned skin told Al that he likely spent as much time as he could in the sun.

"Lieutenant Thompson?" Clarke enquired, switching her briefcase from her right hand to her left and holding her free hand out for him to shake.

Thompson gave a nod before his brown eyes took in Valentine, who saluted him, then Al and Hunk before they finally fell on Yellow. It took everything in Al to stop himself from showing any sign of his amusement when Thompson visibly spooked, moving a step backwards and instinctively going for his weapon before he got a hold of himself. "My apologies," Thompson said, his eye still slightly wide as he kept them on Yellow.

" _I'm getting rather annoyed by these reactions,"_ Yellow complained to Hunk, who immediately reached out to scratch her soothingly behind the ear.

Thompson took in Hunk's movements while Clarke made the last of the introductions and Al was relieved to see that they helped the man relax a little more. "We apologise for neglecting to warn you that one of the diplomatic guests with us was Yellow," Clarke said. "As amazing as it sounds, I believe we have already become accustomed to them so it likely slipped the mind of the person who arranged this meeting to tell you," Clarke explained.

"It is a little hard to believe that you could become used to having a giant lion nearby so quickly but I imagine they have spent most of their time at Central Command and are likely considered old news there by now," Thompson commented lightly before he looked directly at Yellow. "I apologise for the rudeness of my reaction, Yellow," he said sincerely. It was obvious from Yellow's reaction that she had forgiven him and Thompson looked relieved at that. "If you would like to jump right into why you're here, please follow me. If you would like to grab something to eat for lunch or some coffee, there's a café a few buildings down that I would be happy to escort you to," Thompson offered.

Clarke looked at her four companions but no one indicated they were hungry just yet so she said, "I think we'd prefer to get started, if that's alright with you, Lieutenant?"

Thompson gave her a nod. "Of course," he said. "Please follow me. Those on shift today are waiting inside," Thompson explained before he turned around to lead them into the military outpost building.

No one hesitated in following him up the few stairs and into the building. Al noted it was set up similarly to the Resembool outpost building, with them walking directly into the waiting area, where a secretary sat behind the desk. Al was willing to bet that down the hallway, an office, interview room and storage sat and beyond that were the holding cells. Thompson introduced them to the secretary – a plump, middle-aged woman named Jennifer, though she was quick to insist they call her Jenny – before he asked them to wait there until he found the three missing members of his team.

" _I like Jenny,"_ Yellow said as they watched Thompson head down the hallway. At Hunk's questioning noise, she elaborated. _"All she did was wave to me when I was introduced so therefore I will protect her with my life,"_ she informed him.

"You have been spending far too much time around Lance," Hunk sighed, chuckling lightly when Yellow merely grinned. "I have a feeling she was expecting one of you, though," Hunk said through their bond. "She may have even seen you when we arrived," he said thoughtfully.

" _I will still eat anyone who so much as looks at her wrong,"_ Yellow declared.

"You've seriously spent far too much time with Lance," Hunk told her, causing her to huff slightly and Al to glance at the two of them.

"I never thought I'd say these words in my life but it's a little unfair that you two aren't able to keep me in on your telepathic loop," Al complained, though there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Sorry," Hunk said, unable to stop himself from doing so, much to Yellow's amusement.

Valentine and Clarke didn't notice anything amiss with their discussion as they made casual conversation with Jenny. Their conversation was interrupted before Al could figure out what they were gossiping about by Thompson heading back towards them with three soldiers in tow. "1st Lieutenant Clarke, Sergeant Valentine, Alphonse Elric, please allow me to introduce the three soldiers on shift at this time," Thompson said as he came to a stop a few feet away from their group. "These are Sergeant Rick Beckler, Corporal Tiffany Joffrey and Lance-Corporal Luke Sanchez," Thompson said, gesturing to those he was introducing. "Also present are two diplomatic guests of Fuhrer Grumman. These are Hunk and his partner, Yellow," Thompson said, introducing the last two members of the groups. Beckler's, Joffrey's, and Sanchez's eyes bulged almost in unison when they spotted Yellow sitting next to Hunk and Al knew Hunk was struggling to keep his amusement in check as much as he was.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Clarke said, giving them a nod that Beckler, Joffrey, and Sanchez all returned.

"If you'll follow me, I believe our interview room may be just large enough to be utilised by all of us," Thompson said.

"I have no objections," Clarke assured him, while the rest of those from Central gave agreeing nods.

Thompson was quick to lead them down the hall he had just come back from – pausing only to request that Jenny hold onto any messages for them unless they were absolutely important. The interview room really wasn't big enough to for them to all be in there but somehow they managed to make it work so that even Yellow got a spot at the table that usually sat between a soldier and victim or suspect.

"Now, I am aware that you have all heard the rumours surrounding the reasons behind the diplomatic guests being in Amestris, yes?" Clarke asked. Despite the fact that their team was constantly referred to Al's, it was agreed that as the highest-ranking officer, Clarke would be taken the lead. Valentine, Al, and Hunk hadn't put up any arguments when Brookes told them that.

"A criminal escaped their custody when they unexpectantly appeared in Amestris and the military has been put on alert until this criminal is caught," Beckler said and Clarke gave him a nod.

"Yes," Clarke said. "My commanding officer has been asked to assist Brigadier-General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric with their hunt for the war criminal known as Lotor," Clarke informed them. "We," she gestured to herself and the four who had travelled from Central with her, "were tasked with visiting one of the two towns we believe Lotor will be forced to pass through and working with those stationed there to ensure they're prepared for him," Clarke told them.

"We've seen the sketch released to the newspapers and heard the information released to the outposts," Joffrey said, obviously trying to be helpful and let them know what the soldiers in Keog knew to prevent them wasting time repeating it.

Clarke thanked him with a silent nod. "Alright," Clarke said as she placed her briefcase on the table and snapped open the clips. "Here's all the information we have been provided so far."

* * *

Because Al wasn't officially part of the military like Ed was, he'd never been allowed to attend mission briefings, aside from the ones that were strictly between Ed and Mustang. Fuhrer Bradley either hadn't bothered to try and convince his generals to allow Al to attend the more important mission briefings (even though he would be going with Ed on the mission) or he figured it didn't matter because Ed told him everything anyway so Al had never sat in on one. He'd always thought Ed had been being overdramatic when he complained about how long and boring each one was and how much he'd like to smack each higher-ranked officer over the head for asking a question that had been answered earlier but now he knew his brother had likely been underselling it.

Though he couldn't begrudge the four soldiers their curiousity, he felt like going outside and screaming when the meeting that really should've taken an hour at most passed over the two-hour mark. Thankfully for his sanity, the meeting only ran for another 40 minutes so he didn't end up having to find an excuse to escape the room and scream out his irritation. Once Lieutenant Clarke had packed away the files she'd brought with her, Thompson had once again suggested they get coffee and some late lunch. This time, his suggestion was taken onboard by all five of them and once he'd issued orders for his soldiers to take the notes written during the briefing and get them to the soldiers who weren't on duty so they wouldn't be hit with all that reading the moment they walked in for their shift.

Hunk, Yellow, and Al were walking a couple of metres behind Valentine and Clarke as they headed for the café Thompson had pointed them towards. "Aw man, I know I've already been here for pretty much four days but I am so excited for Earth food," Hunk said softly.

"Is space food that bad?" Al asked with a frown. He remembered Ed's description of the kinds of foods he'd eaten while with Voltron (the purple French toast was something his older brother would never let go) but Ed had never complained about the food.

"It's not bad," Hunk said. "I mean, food goo isn't that good but it's not uneatable," Hunk corrected himself before he continued, "but I can usually work with the supplies we get from planets to make something close enough to Earth food that it isn't really noticeable taste-wise," he told him. "But being able to eat a sandwich that hasn't had to have its 'bread' dunked in water first is just so good," he said.

"I completely forgot about Brother telling me about that," Al admitted, looking a little horrified at the reminder of the space-sandwiches. "He said Pidge made the mistake of not doing that one time?" Al asked and Hunk barked out some laughter.

"Yeah, she decided she didn't want to soak the space-bread first so she just threw all the ingredients together and called it a day," Hunk told him, a grin on his face as he recalled the memory. "The space-bread expanded in her stomach and made her feel so full that she ended up in the medbay and given some anti-indigestion tablets by a very unimpressed Coran before she was escorted to her room by an equally unimpressed Lance to sleep it off. We didn't see her for almost a day and a half and she ended up lectured by Allura since her decision to not wait a few seconds for the space-bread to soak put Voltron out of commission for a day and a half," Hunk explained. "That lecture from Allura is considered legendary and even Shiro and Keith were scared by it so much that no one ever considered going against my food preparation rules again," Hunk said, chuckles lacing his voice.

"From what Ed has told me about Princess Allura, I am not surprised to hear that," Al said, his own laughter obvious.

Their talk was put on hold when they reached the café and met their waitress. Once the waitress managed to calm down after meeting Yellow, they were given their seating options and unanimously chose to be seated outside so they could enjoy the sunshine and fresh air after being stuck in the car and outpost building for hours on end. After they were seated, their attention was strictly on the menus before Hunk and Yellow attracted the others' attention since Hunk was reading the menu options out loud so they could keep their telepathy a secret. Al had to give their waitress credit since she did come back to keep serving them despite how obviously nervous she was about Yellow.

* * *

The humans in the group made light chatter while Yellow simply enjoyed laying herself out in the sun and soaking it in. She also took the opportunity to speak with Ed and her sisters and catch up on what they were all doing. Ed, Havoc, Red, Blue, and their pilots had arrived in Metso only a few minutes after they'd arrived in Keog but their meetings were taking a little longer. Because the town was almost five times bigger than Keog, they had more higher-ups to meet, which meant more meetings and more questions. With how annoyed she'd sensed Al was getting during the meeting, Yellow could only hope that Ed was fairing better, though she knew she would likely be hearing many stories about how he'd nearly broken someone's nose when they were all back in Central.

"What's wrong?" Yellow's attention was grabbed by the worry in her human's voice and she sat up to find Al's keen eyes looking over her and into the sparsely wooded area behind the café.

"I thought I saw –" Al cut himself off with a gasp just as Yellow's keen ears picked up on the sound of careful footsteps behind her.

Getting to her feet quickly, Yellow could feel her hackles rise as she stared at the area she'd heard the footsteps in. She knew the others were on their feet, ready to move if need be, so she wasn't worried about trying to alert them. After a few tense moments, just when Yellow thought that maybe it had been some kind of animal or a false alarm entirely, she saw it. There was someone walking between the trees, trying to use them as cover. Despite the fact that he was strolling almost casually, dressed in clothing and knapsack that were obviously well used and not doing anything to draw more than a casual glance, Yellow couldn't stop staring at him suspiciously.

A familiar ringing slap sounded behind them and Yellow glanced back momentarily to see Al's eyes glowing electric blue with his arms out in front of him and palms facing the stranger. When Yellow looked back now that she knew Al was using Ed's tracking array, she noticed that the stranger was also watching them. To the random person, it would look as though the stranger was simply curious but Yellow could see the way their muscles had tensed the moment they heard the clap.

"He's not showing up for the array!" Al hissed to them, ending the array so he didn't waste more energy. "Only one person has ever been able to hide from Brother's array!" he told them. "That's Lotor!"

No one reacted for a heartbeat until Clarke and Valentine drew their weapons and aimed them directly for Lotor, moving themselves around the table they'd been seated at so they had a perfectly clear shot. "Stay right where you are and place your hands on your head!" Clarke barked, her blue eyes blazing dangerously at Lotor, who was still standing on the other side of the café's boundary fence.

Yellow swore she saw Lotor smirk before he took off through the trees, no longer bothering to follow the path as he had been. Clarke and Valentine didn't even hesitate to follow him as they tore after him, jumping the thigh-high fence with ease. "No, Lieut-!" Al started yelling, his arm reaching out as though to grab Clarke's military jacket. "Dammit!" the blonde swore as he raced after them, Yellow and Hunk not far behind him.

" _Ed issued orders that Lotor was not to be approached, right?"_ Yellow asked Hunk as they leapt the fence themselves.

"Only to Al," Hunk said through their bond. "I don't think Ed really believed Lotor would show up in Keog," Hunk confessed.

" _That's why he was so insistent on going to Metso,"_ Yellow realised and Hunk gave a confirming hum in her mind. It was so obvious that Yellow groaned to herself for not realising it yesterday.

"Lotor! Stop!" Clarke shouted as she and Valentine kept their lead in the race to reach Lotor. As pretty much everyone expected, Lotor ignored them and continued running, clearly trying to get through the paddock they were currently running through so he could get to the denser woods beyond it and lose them.

"Lieutenant Clarke, stop!" Al called out but either Clarke didn't hear him or she was ignoring him because she didn't stop.

Lotor didn't slow down but Yellow saw him pull his knapsack off his shoulder without breaking stride and she got a bad feeling in her gut. _"Hunk, he's gonna do something,"_ Yellow told her human.

"Al! Yellow says he's up to something!" Hunk said, huffing slightly at the physical exertion.

Al swore as he forced himself to go faster. He'd seen the damage done to the trees in the clearing where Ed, Green, Yellow, Mustang, and Den had face Lotor. Even though Ed and Mustang had both shared their views on that fight to everyone, including Brookes' team, it seemed as though neither Clarke nor Valentine had remembered it. As they ran, Al tried to figure out what Lotor was up to while he tried to catch up with the two determined soldiers to try and stop them. He spared half a thought at being grateful that the paddock they were running through was a crop paddock – though it had obviously hadn't been used this season to give the soil a chance to recover – and not a livestock paddock. He didn't think any of them would've appreciated a bull or feral cow chasing after them as well.

It was the gleam of black that finally clued Al, Yellow and Hunk in on what Lotor was about to do and all three of them found themselves running faster than they had been. Yellow was the first to reach the two soldiers and had managed to pull Clarke off her feet while Al grabbed Valentine by the back of his jackets only moments before Lotor fired a shot from his blaster. Al and Yellow kept the two soldiers covered while Hunk pulled out his bayard and fired multiple shots from his shoulder cannon. To their annoyance, Lotor dodged each one with an almost bored expression on his face as he aimed at Hunk and fired a shot that – thankfully – the Yellow Paladin managed to avoid.

A ringing clap echoed throughout the paddock and Hunk saw Al slam his hands to the earth out of the corner of his eye as he fired retaliatory shots at Lotor. In a mimicry of what Ed had done in his fight against Lotor, Al sent a pair of earthen hands straight for the deranged alien prince. Just as had happened in Ed's fight, Lotor fired two shots rapidly at the approaching hands, destroying them with enough force that shards of hardened dirt flew everywhere, slicing up skin when it connected with flesh. Al heard a growl of annoyance from Lotor and saw the prince's pale blue eyes flash with irritation as he fired another shot – this time, it was aimed straight at Alphonse but Yellow was quick to knock him aside so the shot missed completely and ended up digging a trench in the dirt behind them.

Lotor didn't say a word to any of them during this fight, not even when Clarke and Valentine had found their feet again and were ordering him to stand down once more. Lotor simply sneered at them as he pulled out a palm-sized device and Al's eyes went wide as Lotor twisted it deftly, causing it to light up. "Everyone, get down!" Al ordered as Lotor threw the device at them before he sprinted for the woods.

Everyone did exactly as Al told them to do while Al clapped his hands together before he hit the dirt. Placing his hands on the earth under him, Al constructed a thick earthen dome to surround the device and just in time. The moment the blue alchemic energy had finished crackling over the dome, the earthen construction was ripped into dust by the explosive force inside it. Al let out a sigh of relief when he realised he'd managed to make the dome covering thick enough to prevent any of them being hurt but his relief was soon mixed with irritation when he realised Lotor had managed to escape into the wooded area ahead of them.

"Is everyone alright?" Al asked as he climbed to his feet and shook out his limbs, trying to rid himself of the lingering adrenaline.

"I'm okay," Hunk said before he made a show of checking Yellow over. "So is Yellow," he announced and Al nodded.

"I'm alright," Clarke said, rubbing a line of blood of her cheek from a shallow cut.

"So am I," Valentine announced though Al thought he was holding his wrist a little oddly. Valentine noticed him and his shoulders drooped slightly. "I think a sprained my wrist, though it's just a light sprain," Valentine said, trying to assure them.

"We'll wrap your wrist when we're back at the café," Al promised him. He glanced out at the thick woods before he faced the group once more. "Let's head back. We've probably got some explaining to do to the Keog soldiers," Al said, moving towards the café when Clarke stopped him with a protesting noise.

"We aren't going after him? The trail's fresh!" she exclaimed before looking a little startled that she did so.

"We cannot go up against him and hope to win," Al informed her. "This little scuffle proved that! Brother told me we wouldn't be able to win against him and while I understand that it's trained into you guys to chase after a suspect if they flee, if you had just waited for me to speak at the café, I would've told you that Ed didn't want us trying to confront Lotor unless all the teams were together because he's that dangerous," Al told her.

Both Clarke and Valentine looked a little stunned and ashamed. "We apologise, Alphonse," Clarke said. "I wasn't aware of those orders and I hope you know that I wouldn't have instigated the pursuit if I had known," Clarke said and Al gave her a nod.

"I know," Al assured her. "I'm gonna make sure Brother knows that he needs to tell you guys this kind of thing before we're in this sort of situation again," Al said, more to himself than the others before he sighed when Clarke spoke again.

"That would've been helpful but you are the team lead for this mission," Clarke said. "I may be the highest ranked officer here but Lieutenant-Colonels Elric and Brookes made it clear that we were supposed to follow your lead. Sergeant Valentine and I should have waited for your orders before we went after Lotor," Clarke told him.

"We're sorry we didn't," Valentine said, making sure he got his own apology in.

"Seriously, don't worry about it," Al said. "You guys reacted because of your training. Any other time or criminal, the call would've been up to you, Lieutenant Clarke, because of your being the highest rank. I'm just a civilian and you're both trained to only listen to civilians if they're in danger," Al pointed out. "I'm really not mad and I'll make sure Brother understands that this was partly his fault as well. Neither of you are to blame here," Al promised. "Let's just head back to the café. I'm hungry after that chase," Al complained, causing Hunk and Yellow to chuckle, and – more importantly – stopping any further argument from Clarke or Valentine in its tracks.

"You can't half tell that you're related to Ed, can you?" Hunk asked rhetorically. Al's responding glower was what caused Clarke and Valentine to stop looking like they were expecting to get lectured for their decision.

"Zip it," Al snapped venomlessly, his own eyes twinkling slightly to show Hunk he wasn't trying to be mean.

Hunk's laughter sounded once more behind Al as he led them back to the café, pausing only to mend the damage done to the paddock they'd battled in. He knew Yellow would've told Ed and her sisters what had happened – if only because they would've sensed it anyway – so he knew he'd likely have to deal with an overprotective older brother when they were back in Central. Knowing this, Al made the decision to enjoy a relaxing, if late, lunch before he started figuring out what Ed was likely to do and/or say and ways he could counter it so Clarke and Valentine would come out of the experience with minimal guilt. After all, like he had told Clarke, it wasn't like Ed had actually issued the order for them to leave Lotor alone if the group encountered him.

* * *

"I have decided that what happened with your team means that no one is allowed to say I'm the trouble-magnet out of the two of us," Ed informed everyone who was currently inside Mustang's outer office, "because if it were true, Lotor would've been in Metso, not Keog," he said, brow raised in a silent dare for someone to argue with him.

Because Lotor had been in Keog and Ed had been informed immediately of his appearance, Ed had been able to ask Black to have Shiro tell Mustang or Hawkeye to call the Metso outpost and give him the news about Lotor so no one could question how they knew. Well, he'd done so after he'd finished cursing Lotor out in every language he knew then cursing Al out for fighting against Lotor when he'd explicitly told him not to do that. Ed had felt a little guilty when Yellow had given him the full and detailed story of what had happened while she was walking with Al and the others back to the café but that hadn't stopped him from muttering expletives every now and then while he waited for the arranged phone call. Both Keith and Lance had looked mildly impressed while Havoc looked like he was both used to and amused by Ed's behaviour. Both Lions had taken a look at each other and unanimously decided to just let Ed get it out of his system.

"Oh no, you are definitely the trouble-magnet still, Brother," Al informed him. "The only reason Lotor wound up in Keog is because you were hoping he'd end up in Metso. The universe couldn't prove you right," Al told him.

"Have either of you considered that both of you are trouble-magnets?" Lance asked curiously.

Ed and Al exchanged a look. "You're probably right," Ed said as he flopped himself down into one of the extra chairs someone – he suspected Fuery and probably Breda – were ordered to bring in for the Paladins to use whenever they were all in Mustang's office.

"What happened in Keog? Shiro didn't give us many details since Yellow said you would explain," Mustang asked, looking between Al and Hunk curiously. Both Valentine and Clarke had returned to their offices after being reassured by Ed that he didn't blame them for their actions and had apologised for not ensuring they'd been given the orders not to pursue Lotor. Al obliged Mustang and told them in detail what had happened. Aside from the minor cuts caused by the shards of what had been alchemised earthen hands suffered by Hunk, Al, and Clarke, the only other injuries were Valentine's sprained wrist and Clarke's bruised side from where Yellow had tackled her. "Which way was he heading before your fight?" Mustang asked.

"North," Al told him. "I think he's definitely planning on entering Central," he told them, getting nods of agreement from everyone.

"It would be his best bet at keeping on top of information and finding either you guys," Ed gestured to Voltron, "or an alchemist to help him back to your universe," Ed said.

"He could be looking for material to fix his ship," Shiro added. "His ship was made of strong material since the Lions barely scratched it with their lasers but unless Lotor was able to recover from the fall through the rift quicker than we had, he would've landed far more harshly than we did. His ship wasn't a Lion so it couldn't control where and how it landed without his input," Shiro pointed out. "Your world may not have the same materials as what his ship is made out of but it could be possible that what you do have could be used as a temporary band-aid, if you will."

"Well, if he is then we'll issues alerts to every store in Central who could stoke things he could utilise or repurpose for his needs," Mustang said, nodding to Hawkeye. Ed knew that meant that as soon as she could, Hawkeye would be putting together a list of such stores to notify. "There were no injuries? Lotor's stun grenade didn't affect any of you?" Mustang asked.

"Only minor injuries and I don't think it was a stun grenade," Al admitted. "Hunk said that Yellow's hearing wasn't affected and even though I covered it with the earthen dome, if it _was_ a stun grenade like what was used against Brother, Green, Yellow, and Den, Yellow should've felt some affect from the blast, hearing-wise," Al told them.

"So you think it was -?" Ed started to ask and Al nodded.

"He either used a normal grenade or a flash bang, like what Old Man Fu gave you, Darius, and Ling to help free me from Pride," Al confirmed. "I'm leaning more towards the flash bang since it wasn't as powerful as I'd expect a grenade from that world to be," Al admitted and Ed nodded in agreement with his thought.

"I doubt he would've used something as powerful as a grenade against the five of you when he's likely got a limited number of weapons at his disposal right now," Ed said. "He'd save his more powerful weapons for the real fight."

"Well that sounds comforting," Havoc muttered darkly, causing a couple of those in the room to chuckle slightly.

"What happened in Metso, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.

"Fucking nothin'," Ed told him, garnering a few bouts of laughter in response and an unimpressed look from Mustang. "Seriously," Ed said. "Aside from meeting a lieutenant-colonel who I will likely stab the next time I'm forced to be near him, the mission went smoothly. Up until Yellow told me Lotor was in Keog and that Al and his team had fought against him," Ed told him.

"Do I want to know?" Mustang asked Havoc, who grinned but shook his head. "Well, I'll admit that I thought I'd be hearing Fullmetal bitching Lotor out for escaping him once more, not Alphonse, but I'm pleased I won't have to be submitting reports to Fuhrer Grumman about having to payout civilians for property damage," Mustang said, smirking at Ed.

Ed simply flipped him off. "Speaking of Grumman, does anyone know if he's gotten Lambert's report regarding Buckley?" he asked, ignoring the smirk on Mustang's face that had widened in response to his reaction.

"I'm not sure, Ed," Hawkeye told him.

"Well, if you don't know, they probably don't," Ed said, gesturing to Havoc, Falman, Fuery, and Breda, "and he sure as shit won't," he added, pointing his thumb at Mustang, who made an offended noise that Ed ignored. "Do you know if Lambert's next door still?" he asked.

"I haven't been told that she isn't," Hawkeye told him, mirth in her eyes as they both pretended not to notice Mustang's glower. No one else was bothering to hide their amusement, though Al's was mixed with exasperation.

"Cool, I'm gonna see if Grumman's told her anything," Ed said, getting up out of his chair and moving backwards to the outer office door. "Do you guys want me to grab coffee on my way back?" he asked and immediately regretted his offer when everyone said yes. "Right. Al, you coming?" he asked and got a nod. "I need at least two more humans to come with me to help carry the coffee back," Ed said.

"Hunk and Keith can go if they want," Shiro said before finding himself on the receiving end of Lance's pout. "All of them can go if they want," he amended, getting a blazing grin from Lance in response. He was just grateful Pidge was in Mustang's inner office, too distracted by Ed's tablet to make her displeasure at not having been originally included known.

"Awesome," Ed said, opening the door and letting the Lions out of the room first. Black had obviously decided she was going with Ed while Green was staying behind with her human, though she made sure Ed knew it was a hard decision. "We'll be back eventually," Ed said as Al and the three Paladins headed to join the Lions.

"Stay out of trouble," Mustang ordered.

"I've literally made it my entire mission for the length of my military career to ignore whatever you order me to do. Why should I start listening now?" Ed asked before he shut the door, making sure his grin was the last thing Mustang saw before he did so.

"Do you have to -?" Al started to ask but Ed cut him off as they moved the few feet down the hall towards Lambert's office.

"Yes," Ed said with a nod. "No matter what you were about to ask regarding that comment, the answer is very likely gonna be a 'yes'," he told him, making his younger brother scowl with annoyance. Knocking on the door, Ed was quickly permitted entrance. "Hey, guys," Ed greeted as he held the door open for everyone else to enter.

"Ed," Lambert said, sounding rather surprised to see him in her office. "Al, Voltron," she greeted, nodding her towards them. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you've sent Grumman your report regarding Buckley and whether you know his response to it?" Ed asked as the Lions took it upon themselves to approach the rest of Lambert's team to say hello to them as best they could.

Lambert gave him a smile as she held up the thin file she'd been about to hand Greene. "I was just about to send it to him actually," she told them. "He hadn't said it was a matter of great importance but that he would like it before the end of business today," Lambert explained.

"We can take it for you," Ed offered. "We kinda need to know what he has to say about it because Generals Dickhead and Douchenozzle chucked a fit about Yellow and Blue helping with arrest," Ed explained.

"Ah, of course they did," Lambert said, her lips curling with displeasure. "I'm sure Lieutenant Greene doesn't mind you handling this task," Lambert said, holding the file out for Ed to take.

"You won't hear me fight you for it," Greene said, giving Ed a playful grin that the blonde returned.

"I'd win anyways," Ed said cockily, making Greene let out a bark of laughter. "Thanks for this, Lambert," Ed said, waving the file slightly.

"No problem at all, Edward," she assured him with a pleasant smile.

"We'll let you get back to work," Ed said before looking around at the Lions. "Let's head to Grumman's office and get this matter resolved," Ed said, gesturing with a nod of his head for them to leave the office now. "See you guys later," Ed said, waving his empty hand as he waited for everyone with him to get back into the hallway.

"Bye, guys. Have a good afternoon," Lambert said, her sentiments echoed by everyone else still in the room.

Ed grinned at them before he shut the door. Flipping the file so it was held against his side, lessening the risk of him accidentally dropping it or the papers in it, Ed gestured for everyone to follow him. "We'll head to the mess hall after this and get coffee from there," he told them. "I hope one of you know how Shiro and Pidge take theirs," Ed said to the Paladins with him.

"Yeah, we know," Keith assured him.

"So did you offer to take that file to Grumman out of the goodness of your heart or is there an ulterior motive at play? Because I'm certain Grumman would've told you or someone on your team his decision tomorrow, if he didn't catch or call anyone after he'd read the report," Lance said, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I offered out of the goodness of my heart, of course," Ed said, pretending to be offended that Lance even asked. "However, if two certain generals happened to be there or called in by Grumman to hear his decision while we were there and I got to let out some of my annoyance at how today went on them, well I'd simply consider it a bonus," Ed told them, his faux innocent tone fooling no one.

" _I'm honestly surprised you didn't ask one of your teammates to tip Widdon or Combes off,"_ Red said.

"I considered it," Ed admitted, "but I figured they'd realise something was up if one of my teammates called them to pass on some gossip. Unfortunately, they aren't quite that stupid," Ed told her, sounding annoyed that Widdon and Combes weren't that dumb.

"You're not going to start anything, right, Brother?" Al asked, not sounding hopeful.

"Of course not," Ed told him. "I promised Grumman that I wouldn't be completely insubordinate towards them, after all," Ed reminded him and Al looked relieved. "However, if they start shit, I can't guarantee what I'd do," Ed told him, making that relieved expression disappear from Al's face.

"I hope they had the day off," Al muttered. "I don't want to have to bail you out of jail before you're even 18," Al told him.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to say that, Alphonse," Lance said, a grin playing on his lips. "He might take it as a challenge," he told the younger of the two alchemists.

"That is _not_ a challenge!" Al hissed immediately at his brother.

"Don't worry, Alphonse," Ed chuckled, his laughter mixing with Lance's, Keith's and Hunk's. "I have no plans on being caught for what I do to them," Ed informed him.

"That doesn't make me worry less, just so you know," Al muttered, though his grumbling was ruined by his own mirth.

"How about we actually see if there's a need for you to bail me out before you start planning it, hm?" Ed suggested.

"I've been planning it for years, Brother," Alphonse informed him, tone flat. His remark set them all off on another round of laughter and had Ed enduring teasing remarks from the four Lions, all of which he answered with a roll of his eyes. He was just happy Al was finally comfortable enough with his friends to start showing his real self rather than just allowing snippets to shine through his mask.

* * *

"Well this seems to line up pretty much with everything you told me yesterday, Edward," Grumman said as he closed the file Ed had handed him twenty minutes previous.

"Of course it did," Ed said, completely unsurprised. "Widdon and Combes wouldn't know how to report the truth to you about me to save their lives," he said seriously.

Grumman's lips twitched slightly at the corners but that was the only sign of amusement he showed. "I'm not going to comment on that," Grumman told him, a half-grin on his face when Ed whined slightly. "However, what I _will_ say is that the Lions are free to accompany you, their humans, or trusted soldiers without any restraints or containment, just as I promised they would when you introduced them to us," Grumman told Ed, though he made sure to address them all as he spoke.

"Thanks, Grumman," Ed said, sitting up in the armchair he'd been slumped in.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Lance said, bowing slightly. "We're sorry we were the cause for this whole fiasco," Lance said. Grumman and Al were the only ones that looked slightly surprised at him taking the lead.

"It's not your fault," Grumman told him. "That goes for all of you who were involved," he added. "This is just yet another unfortunate example of two generals who suffer from an extreme case of…" he trailed off as he mused over the phrases he could use.

"Pettiness and the inability to accept they had their arses metaphorically handed to them by a 17-year-old over four months ago?" Ed offered graciously.

"I was going to say, 'extreme case of inflated egos and a gross overestimate of where they stand with the military'," Grumman said dryly as Lance, Hunk, Keith and Al struggled valiantly to keep their amusement at bay. None of the Lions were bothering since Grumman couldn't hear them but their cackles were adding to their human's struggles.

"That works too," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder, not bothering to hide his grin.

" _I think your description suited them better,"_ Blue commented with a slight huff.

"Thank you. So do I but I guess Grumman's is more diplomatic," Ed said through their bond with a small grin.

Grumman gave them all an amused look before his neutral expression was back in place. "I don't want to make any of you overly cautious but I would like to make sure that you all understand that my decision here is going to irritate the two generals further," Grumman said soberly. "I have no doubt in my mind that they will try something like this again while you are here. I highly doubt they will do something as obvious as attack you on base or in the public's eye but I cannot stress enough that you need to be wary of them," he told them, looking at Ed in particular. "They didn't get to the rank of major-general for no reason. I admittedly have no idea _how_ they earned their promotions but I'm inclined to think money found its way to the right hand," Grumman divulged. "There's no proof of course but still. That could mean they know dangerous people and aren't worried about being caught," Grumman told them.

"I might be able to make Mustang open an investigation into them sooner than we planned," Ed offered. "If they're worried about me and Mustang looking into them, they might be distracted enough from Voltron to stop interfering and creating these ridiculous issues," Ed said.

"That's between you and General Mustang," Grumman told him. "You and he have my permission to open an investigation into the two generals whenever you want," Grumman reminded him. "However, you would still need to watch yourselves in the meantime. Don't stop your investigation and don't change the way you act but try to keep in mind that those two will be angry with my decision and it could cause them to try something as desperate as they had when Belmont was arrested," Grumman warned them. "I will do my best to make sure they remember that they are still on probation for the next two months so are on thin enough ice that they really can't risk making baseless accusations but I have a feeling it won't stop them for long," Grumman confessed.

"Don't worry, Grumman," Ed said. "We've gone up against them before in this sort of situation and we'll do it again if we have to. Especially if Amestris is on the line," Ed assured him, his tone completely serious and full of confidence.

"I know you will," Grumman said, giving him a smile. "However, your comment about Amestris has given the opportunity to segue into a query I have," Grumman said, straightening in his chair a little. "How did your missions in the search for Lotor go today?' he asked.

Ed sighed slightly, causing Grumman to look a little intrigued while Lance, Keith, Hunk, and Al shared a small smirk. "Al can tell you about his mission but here's what happened in Metso."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is a few hours late! I got busy today and it completely slipped my mind until now that it needed to go up! Thank you to those of you who left me a comment and I really hope to hear from you guys again about this chapter! See you all next week!


	23. Chapter 23

"Lotor was spotted entering Central by soldiers stationed on its outskirts earlier this morning. The soldiers tried to follow him but he gave them the slip. Resulting searches haven't turned up any sign of him," was the first thing Ed, Al, and Voltron heard the moment they entered Mustang's outer office.

"I haven't even had my third cup of coffee yet and you're already dropping this kind of crap on me," Ed whined as he sunk into his chair and placed his head on his folded arms on his rarely used desk.

" _You're addicted to caffeine,"_ Blue said as she sat next to him.

"Shush you," Ed hissed as her while Lance coughed suspiciously. "You shush too," Ed said, flopping a hand in Lance's general direction.

"Sorry, Chief," Havoc said, his amusement obvious enough that Ed looked up to glare at him. "Anyway, the bossman wants to know what your plans are," he told Ed.

Sighing, Ed sat himself up straighter in his chair. "Where is the bastard and Miss Riza?" Ed asked, noting that he hadn't actually seen either of them since he walked in.

"Meeting between the generals," Havoc told him.

"Good fucking luck to them both," Ed snorted, causing the others to chuckle at him. "How many soldiers did Mustang have set up on the southern side of Central and have they been pulled back in or reassigned?" Ed asked.

"Uh," Havoc said before he grabbed for some papers on his desk. "There were 45 soldiers placed around Central's southern edges and they have been ordered to continue the search for Lotor until they get new orders," Havoc told him.

"Right," Ed said with another sigh. "And they've found no signs of him or where he's going, right?" Ed asked and Havoc gave him a nod.

"None of them have called in to say anything that would change that," Havoc confirmed.

"For fuck's sake," Ed muttered. "Have they bothered to check the sewerage systems or underground tunnels?" Ed asked.

"A team of eight soldiers did investigate them when they first started the search but I believe they decided that since there was no sign of him in them, they headed back above ground to help the others," Falman told him.

"Right, because there's no way Lotor would've thought to go below ground the moment the soldiers got closer to him further into town," Ed grumbled before he sighed once more. "Is Lambert's team completely in?" Ed asked.

"I'll go check for you," Fuery said and Ed gave him a nod that was both a thanks and permission.

They watched as Fuery headed out of the room before Shiro spoke. "Why are you asking about the sewer systems and whatnot?" he asked.

"Because Lotor is – unfortunately – not an idiot," Ed admitted begrudgingly. "If he learns or knows about our underground tunnels, he could move around anywhere he wanted in this city completely undetected," Ed told them. "Those tunnels stretch from every end of Central and if Lotor figures out how to navigate them, we won't catch him until he wants us to catch him," Ed said bluntly.

"You think he has?" Keith asked and Ed shrugged.

"Honestly? I would've if I were him," Ed told them. "He knows he's wanted. He doesn't have any clue about Central, how it works, what the city's like, any of that stuff that would help making blending in easier, even if he could blend with Amestrians," Ed pointed out. "Going underground would be his smartest move," Ed said.

Fuery chose that moment to come back into the office, using the doors between the two offices this time. "They're all in," the bespectacled man told Ed as he headed back to his desk and allowing Lambert and her team to pool in around the doors.

"Morning, guys," Ed greeted, lifting a hand in a wave. "You guys got the latest on Lotor?"

"Morning, everyone," Lambert said, nodding her own greeting to everyone. "Yes, we heard that Lotor was spotted entering Central and that the soldiers pursuing him have since lost him."

"Awesome," Ed said. "I'm planning on going out there today, getting those soldiers together and putting together a proper search for Lotor," Ed told her. "I'm planning on stealing Falman and I'd like to take Mason with me as well so I can get the soldiers who are searching for Lotor together and placed into teams with competent team leaders," Ed told her, obviously still annoyed that the near 50 soldiers who'd been assigned to find Lotor hadn't done their job as well as Ed thought they should have. "I want to split us up into four teams, two under ground and two above," Ed explained.

"So you, Alphonse, Falman, and Mason as team leads?" Lambert asked, obviously seeking clarification.

"Yup," Ed said, "and since both Al and I know the underground systems pretty well, we'll be taking them," Ed told her, glancing at Al to see if he had any arguments, which he didn't. "Since the Lions are exceptional trackers, each team will also have a Voltron pair with them," Ed added, getting a nod from the five of them.

"I have no problems with Lieutenant Mason joining you for today," Lambert told him. Mason looked excited about her new plans for the day, though she was quick to downplay it when Lambert glanced over at her, likely looking to see if she had any arguments.

"Thanks, Lambert," Ed said gratefully. "Falman, you good with conducting a search party today?" Ed asked.

"I have no problems with it, Ed," Falman assured him.

"Awesome," Ed said, a little relieved though he knew that if Falman hadn't been able to help him out, he could've asked one of the three others. "Pidge, have you finished with your project?" Ed asked, startling a few of them with the seemingly sudden change of subject.

"Yeah, just a couple of small things that can run by themselves," Pidge told him.

"Sweet," Ed said. "I want you and Green to go with Mason," he told her, getting a nod from the three of them. "Red and Keith can go with Al," he said, "while Hunk and Yellow go with Falman," he told them, receiving no arguments. "Do all four of you want to go with me or do you think one pair of you should go with another team?" Ed asked.

"I think we'd probably do better above ground," Shiro said, gesturing to himself and Black.

"Alright, you two can pair up with Hunk, Falman, and Yellow," Ed said, getting nods from the five of them. "Which means Lance and Blue are with me," Ed said. "How have you guys been staying in touch with the soldiers?" Ed asked.

"Radio contact," Fuery said immediately, pointing to the radio system he set up against the wall.

"Okay, can you radio them and tell them to get themselves to Central's Southern Park so they can get new orders?" Ed asked and Fuery gave him a nod. "Awesome. If you two," Ed gestured to Mason and Falman, "are good to get going now, we'll meet those soldiers in an hour. That should give them enough time to get from any point in Central to the park, even if they have to walk," Ed said.

"I'm good to go," Mason said, sounding energetic enough. Falman just gave Ed a nod.

"Right, that's awesome," Ed said. "I've just gotta head to Brookes' office and tell him what we're doing. Actually," Ed said thoughtfully, "if he can loan us someone, Shiro, you and Black will go with them. You'll still be an above ground team but you'll be under their command, not Falman's," Ed told them.

"We're good with working with whoever," Shiro assured him.

"Great," Ed said. "I'll go find Brookes and see if I can steal one of his team. You guys should head to the carpool and see if you can get some cars lined up for us," Ed told them.

"Will do," Mason said while Falman just gave Ed a nod.

"Alright, I'll meet you there," Ed told her as he got up from his seat. "Thanks for letting me steal her, Lambert," Ed said with a grin, which only widened when Mason rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome," Lambert said, her own smile just playing on her lips.

"I suppose you should let Mustang know what we're up to," Ed said with a put-on sigh that had most everyone in the room either chuckling or grinning. "I have no clue when we'll be back but someone will let you guys know when we do," Ed told Havoc, who gave him a nod.

"I'll make sure the bossman and captain know," he promised him.

"Cheers," Ed said. "We'll see you guys later," Ed said, waving at the three men of Mustang's original team and what was left of Lambert's team as Mason joined Voltron, Al, and Falman in leaving the offices.

"Don't get in trouble," Havoc said, a shit-eating grin in place.

"I do what I want," Ed told him, a flat expression on his face that was ruined by the amusement in his eyes. "See ya's!" Ed said with another wave before he shut the door behind him.

"What's the bet that he goes up against Lotor again today?" Havoc asked, eyes glinting as Breda pulled out his betting notebook.

* * *

"This is 2nd Lieutenant Jerry Bronson," Ed said, gesturing to the man currently following him as he approached the large group waiting in the carpool. "Bronson, this is everyone," Ed said, waving an arm to gesture to them all. "You know Al, 2nd Lieutenant Mason and 2nd Lieutenant Falman already and I'm sure you've heard all about them but these are the humans and Lions that make up Voltron," Ed said before he delved into their individual introductions.

The slightly portly brunette took in them all, his dark blue eyes flickering to every person and Lion as Ed introduced them. "It's good to meet all of you," Bronson said, dipping his head once Ed had finished the introductions.

"You'll be teamed up with Black and Shiro and you'll be in charge of whichever nine soldiers I decide to give you," Ed told him. "I'll be team lead for everyone but I'm taking Blue and Lance and we're going underground. If there's any issues and I can't be reached, Falman's who you go to. He's my second," Ed told Bronson, though he was talking to the rest of them as well.

"Yes, Sir," Bronson said.

"Don't do that shit," Ed told him, pointing a threatening finger at him. "I don't want to be addressed by my rank or as 'sir', okay?" Ed said, flipping Al and a few of the Voltron humans who were currently laughing at him.

"Alright, Fullmetal?" Bronson said, turning his title into a question, obviously asking if that was alright and Ed gave him a nod that had him relax.

"How many cars did you wrangle?" Ed asked Al, turning to address the others.

"We have four cars," Al told him and Ed gave a sigh of relief. Even though the fifteen of them fit into three cars on the way to Resembool from Ishval, it had been a little cramped. Four cars would make things a bit more comfortable. "Lieutenant Falman has offered to drive one, as has Lieutenant Mason," Al told him.

"I can drive another, if you need," Bronson offered.

"That'd be great," Ed said, giving him a nod. "So we need one more driver," Ed said just as a vaguely familiar person pulled a car up next to them, swiftly followed by three more cars.

"Good morning, Fullmetal," Warrant Officer Melissa Drayton greeted as she climbed out of her car, moving to offer him a salute that he waved off before she could.

"It's good to see you again, Officer Drayton. I hope you've been well since the last time I saw you," Ed said as he gave her a genuine smile. He liked Drayton, even though he'd only met her the once. He figured his opinion was formed mainly because of how excited she was to meet Black Hayate and because Black Hayate seemed to like her well enough. The dog had his owner's people-judging ability.

"I have been. Thank you for asking," Drayton said, not bothering with honorifics or anything like that since she knew Ed would just tell her to knock it off. "How many drivers do you need for today?" she asked as the three other drivers stood next to their cars.

"If you have some free time, we'll take you as a driver but the lieutenants have offered to drive a car each," Ed told her.

"I'm free," Drayton told him before she dismissed the three other drivers with a nod. "Alphonse said that we were heading to Southern Central Park?" she asked, seeking the clarification and Ed nodded. "It'll take us about twenty minutes to get there," she told them and Ed gave another nod.

"That's fine. We have forty minutes before we have to be there," Ed told her.

"Alright," Drayton said. "We can head out now, if you'd like?" Drayton said and Ed gave her a nod. "I know a very good coffee shop on the way," she told him and Ed grinned at her.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Drayton," he told her honestly, causing Drayton to laugh lightly.

" _I so wish she hadn't said that. You don't need to be encouraged with your addiction,"_ Black grumbled.

"Zip it and get in the car," Ed told her through their bond, causing her to chuckle. "Let's get going. Imma need another coffee to get through the day," Ed groused. He didn't bother holding back his grin as multiple mutters of agreement reached his ear as they split up into the four cars.

* * *

"Is this everyone?" Ed asked, rising his voice so he could be heard by the small crowd dressed in Amestrian military blue in front of him. Voltron, Falman, Al, Mason, and Bronson all stood behind, while Drayton had driven back to the base with instructions that someone would contact her if they needed her again that day.

"Yes, sir!" came the response from one of the soldiers closest to him.

Ed's eye twitched at the 'sir' but didn't say anything about it, knowing that most lower-ranked soldiers wouldn't be able to follow his request out of fear Ed would change his mind one day. "Right," Ed said. "Here's the deal. The five of us," Ed gestured to himself, Al, and the three lieutenants, "will be taking nine soldiers each to conduct more thorough searches for the war criminal, Lotor. Each team will be joined by one pair of the Voltron team since the humans know who we're looking for and how to deal with him and the Lions are unbeatable when it comes to tracking," Ed told them. "If any of you have any problems with working under your team leader or the Voltron pair, leave," Ed ordered. "I don't want to hear from them that someone's started shit because you can't cooperate for a day," Ed informed them, making sure they all saw he was serious.

"How would you like us to form teams, sir?" one of the soldiers asked and Ed was rather happy to see that not a single soldier had left.

"Literally just split into five groups of nine. Ranks and shit don't matter because you're all going to answer to your team lead – whether they're above your rank or not. I just need at least one person with a radio in each team," Ed told them. It took a few moments for the soldiers to do as Ed said but after a couple of minutes, he had five distinctive groups of nine in front of him. "Now you know our mission here. I'm the lead for the mission as a whole so your team lead answers to me," Ed said, making sure they understood. "Now my team and Alphonse's team will be going underground to search the tunnels and other systems. 2nd Lieutenant Falman is my second in command for this mission so if I cannot be contacted, go to him," Ed ordered. "Are there any questions?" Ed asked, wanting to be certain everyone understood what was happening for this mission. When none were forthcoming, Ed jerked his head at the gathered soldiers. "Go and grab a team. You lot know your search grid," Ed ordered before he pointed to the group in front of him. "You lot are with me," he told them.

"Stay safe, guys," Al said, looking at Ed, Lance, and Blue. It was obvious he was a little worried about Ed going back into the underground tunnels but there wasn't really another team Ed could send in his place. Even if one of the lieutenants did know the underground system, they weren't alchemists and alchemy might be needed if they came across a blocked tunnel, if a tunnel collapsed on them, or if something else happened that meant an alchemist was needed.

"You too," Ed said with a nod. Once every group of soldiers had a team leader, Paladin, and Lion in front of them, Ed's team excepted since he was still standing in front of them all. "Once your grid has been searched, your team lead is to contact me with any results." Ed looked pointedly at the team leaders and got nods from them all. "What you find depends on what happens after that," Ed told them. He knew they were all used to having clear plans laid out for them but Ed really was a go-with-the-flow kind of person and they were just going to have to deal with it.

" _You need to stay in contact with all of us, Ed,"_ Black informed him, making Ed almost roll his eyes.

"I know and I will," Ed promised her, speaking through their bond and making sure the three other Lions who wouldn't be with him heard him as well. Facing the groups, Ed gave them a nod. "Let's get started."

* * *

"If I ever volunteer to go into the underground tunnels again, I want someone to hit me," Ed said as he led his team through a section of tunnels that Ed thought were actually near the Third Laboratory.

"If I ever agree to go with you again, I want someone to hit _me_ ," Lance told him, grimacing as he stepped in something that squished wetly but thickly under his boot.

" _You have nothing to complain about because neither of you have my sense of smell,"_ Blue grumbled to both of them.

"You have made a very compelling point and you win," Lance told her, taking care to speak softly enough that his voice wouldn't reverberate on the tunnel walls. Blue's smugness was only ruined by the fact that she caught another foul odour.

When the tunnel split off, Ed stopped them. "I want four of you to go down there," Ed instructed. "If you find no sign of anyone passing through them within in the last week within five minutes, join back up with us," Ed ordered before four soldiers branched off from their main group and headed down the tunnel. "The rest of us will keep going," Ed told the others before they started walking again.

"So, I know these tunnels were used during Promised Day but I've gotta ask; why haven't they been filled in or something? So that someone like Lotor can't use them?" Lance asked.

"If we caved these tunnels in, we'd make the whole of Central collapse," Ed told him simply. "Central was built on top of these tunnels. The teams sent down to investigate the systems once the dust had settled and everything was deemed safe after Promised Day said nothing more than what was directly under Central Command could be filled and the only reason that section could be was because it had already been partially filled during the fighting," Ed explained.

"Oh, I guess no one would've really been happy if their homes and stuff had sunk, you know, several metres into the ground," Lance said, making Ed huff out some laughter.

"No, I don't think they would've been," Ed agreed as they approached another branching tunnel. "Four down here. Same rule as the others," Ed said, pointing to the tunnel. Four soldiers immediately moved to follow his orders, leaving Lance, Ed, and Blue with a singular soldier. "We'll keep heading down here. The first group should be catching up soon," Ed said, leading them further into the tunnel.

They'd already been in the tunnels for over an hour and there were no signs of Lotor. Ed would've been lying if he said he hadn't felt a little discouraged by that. He'd had to change the time limit on tunnel searches depending on whether Blue had spotted further tunnels in the ones he wanted checked and how many soldiers he decided to send down to check them. He'd checked in with the Lions on the other teams, mainly to keep his promise, but to also find out about their progress and was only mildly annoyed to find out they hadn't had any luck yet either. The only reason, he believed, that he wasn't madder was that he hadn't truly expected to hear that they had found some sign of the white-haired, purple-skinned bastard.

They continued to investigate the tunnels, the two teams of four soldiers joining back up with them only a few minutes after they'd been sent down each tunnel and it wasn't long before Ed was sending them back down another tunnel to investigate. Lance felt a little sorry for the nine soldiers with them because they usually didn't stay with him, Ed, and Blue for longer than a minute before Ed was sending four of them off to search another tunnel. He wouldn't have wanted to be going down tunnel after tunnel searching for signs of someone who likely hadn't been down there at all and if they had, likely hadn't left a sign.

Several tunnels later, Blue suddenly gagged on something she smelt. _"There is something extremely foul up ahead,"_ Blue told Ed and Lance.

Ed gave her a mental nod but they stayed silent as they continued through the tunnel and into the next. To their surprise, they weren't met by anything dangerous or disgusting but rather a door that seemed like it was almost rusted shut. "There're flakes on the ground there," Ed said, crouching to touch the flakes of rust that sat just below the door's seam. "Someone had to have been through here recently and someone strong at that," Ed told them, straightening back up.

"How do you know, sir?" one of the soldiers with him asked. Ed glanced over and took in the youngish face looking curiously back at him.

"Come here," Ed said, gesturing him forward. Blue and Lance stepped aside for the solder. "Have a look and tell me what you see," Ed instructed.

The soldier crouched just like Ed had and took in the flakes of rust on the ground and everything else that was there. It took him a few moments before he spotted something. "These flakes haven't been flattened into the ground. They've come off the door and settled there. If they'd been there for a while, rats or other animals down here would've likely stepped on all them before now," he said, not completely confident in his answer but seeming relatively certain.

"Exactly," Ed said before he crouched back down, "and you can see here," he pointed to the fresher flakes, "that the water run off from the walls hasn't touched them yet. I'd imagine if this area of Central got some rain – like it did a few days ago – this tunnel would have the runoff go through it. You can tell by the mould and dampness of the walls here, you see?" Ed said, pointing to where the light gleamed off the wall. "It's why this door is practically rusted shut as well. Rust doesn't happen unless the metal is exposed to the elements without being cleaned properly afterwards. There's a gutter running above us, which is why we have light to see by, so the water comes in that way, runs down the metal door and onto the floor, where it then drains from somewhere further down," Ed explained.

"I understand," the soldier said, "but why do you think the person who came through this door was strong? Is it just because of the rust?" he asked.

Ed shook his head. "That is part of it," he told him. "Rusted doors are bastards to pull open for anyone but this door is thick, which means it's very heavy by itself. The hinges obviously would've aided anyone using it before but they're partially rusted as well, meaning they don't operate as smoothly as they should to help open the door. To get this door open, someone had to either use some kind of winch system – and there's no signs of one being used here – or they're strong," Ed told him before they both straightened up.

"I get it," the soldier said. "Thank you for explaining that to me, sir. It was very helpful information," he told him gratefully.

"No problems," Ed said. "I'll alchemise the door. Should be able to get rid of most of the rust without risking the door's structure. Makes it easier for us to get it open that way," Ed announced before he clapped – his not needing to clap for an array like this was still not common knowledge and he planned on keeping it that way for as long as possible – and placed his sparking hands to the door's surface. Blue energy raced outwards from his hands, devouring the rust as it did before it dispersed, leaving dully gleaming, rust-free door in its wake. "Here we go," Ed said, more to himself than anyone else.

Pulling the doors open, Ed was hit with an immediate wave of decay strong enough to make his eyes water and bile rise in his throat. Blue let out a whine as she tried to protect her nose but couldn't quite get there. Ed was quick to tear off the end of his red jacket while Lance and the nine soldiers behind him tried to stop themselves from throwing up. At least two lost that battle while Ed placed his bunched-up strip of jacket against Blue's nose to try and help filter the scent out. It seemed to work, if the gratefulness he could feel meant anything. Ed tucked his own nose into the crook of an elbow as Lance took over holding the material against Blue's so Ed could investigate.

"Oh," Ed gasped as he took in what was laying in front of the now opened door.

"Sir, what is it?" one of the soldiers asked, his voice cracking slightly as he continued to fight against his gag reflex.

"Chimeras," Ed told them. "Or what's left of them," he amended as he stepped forward. "The main force behind Promised Day had the military make hundreds of chimeras for him to place in these tunnel systems to act as guards for him," Ed explained. "The ones closer to Central Command would've been killed in the fight or by the soldiers who examined the tunnels after Promised Day but these ones were either not found or left to starve," Ed said, taking in the couple of corpses that weren't skeletons.

The fact that they were so skinny but had obviously only died a few weeks ago at the most told Ed that the second option was probably most likely. These chimeras hadn't been found and so they'd had to fend for themselves, likely killing and devouring one another to try and last longer. The dead bodies of their fellows and water provided by any storms in Central could've sustained several chimeras for years. However once that food source became scarce, the remaining chimeras would've resorted to fighting each other once more, the victor living of the flesh of the loser until only one chimera remained. It was obvious that the last couple of chimeras had likely kept themselves from each other, hoping to wear the other one down until it was too weak to put up a fight. Ed wasn't sure what happened but it was probable that the chimeras had simply starved to death before they fought each other.

"Ed, what are we doing?" Lance asked, his voice thick as he fought against the odour. It was so pungent, they could taste it.

"Someone came through here recently," Ed said, pointing to the obviously trodden on bones in front of them. "We've got to investigate it," he told them, addressing the soldiers. "You guys go on ahead. Make sure you keep an eye out for any sort of track. Hopefully the corpses mean that whoever came through had to leave some sign of them being here," Ed instructed. The nine soldiers did as he asked and fanned out in front of them. "I'll rig that so you don't have to keep holding it against her nose, if you still need it, Blue?" Ed asked softly.

" _I think I'm used to it now. It was just so strong and I hadn't expected it so I couldn't prepare myself,"_ Blue told him. Ed gave a nod and Lance pulled the scrap of red jacket away from her face. Blue's nose scrunched up in displeasure but she nodded. _"I can handle it but I am going to need a bath tonight,"_ she told them, making both of them laugh.

"We'll give you the best bath you've ever had once we're done for the day," Ed promised her.

" _I'll hold you to that,"_ she informed him and Ed scratched her behind her ears.

"Good," he said before he started picking his way through the corpses. "In the meantime, let's get this done," he said.

"At least we can't say our search was uneventful," Lance muttered as he and Blue followed Ed. The snorts from Ed and a few soldiers told Lance his voice had carried unintentionally but he found himself not minding as he and Blue joined the soldiers in their search.

* * *

Russell Widdon watched in distaste as the Fullmetal Alchemist walked past him, followed by two pairs of the foreigners. None of them seemed to notice him as he approached the corridor they'd been going down and Widdon was fine with that. The brat had caused him and his fellow general more than enough trouble in the last four months and it was becoming blindingly obvious that their Fuhrer not only favoured Mustang over the other generals but that he favoured the blonde teenager above them all. Widdon sneered at the alchemist's back before he turned into the corridor, heading in the opposite direction. He ignored the few soldiers he passed in the corridor, barely bothering to wave them out of their salutes as he continued down the corridor until he got to the door of his fellow general's office.

"Colin," Widdon greeted, pairing it with a nod once Combes' secretary had closed the door behind him.

"Russell," Combes returned the greeting, nodding to the vacant chair that Widdon always sat in when he was in Combes' office. "Did you hear about what happened while we were in that ridiculous meeting yesterday?" he asked, knowing his old friend had left the base after the meeting to take care of other business.

"Yes, I heard about the search party," Widdon said, a sneer twisting his lips. "Of course they found nothing. Elric doesn't have the experience necessary to run a successful search. I have no idea what was going through Mustang's head when he decided to make that child his field commander," Widdon groused. It had been big news throughout Central when it became public knowledge four months ago that Edward Elric, the People's Alchemist, was now a lieutenant-colonel _and_ Brigadier-General Mustang's field commander for both his teams. Both Widdon and Combes had heard about nothing else for the first week of their suspension.

"It's obvious that Mustang only did that to further his own career," Combes growled. "Elric has been nothing but lucky on his missions and Mustang obviously expects that luck to be mistaken for proper training under his hand so he can reap the rewards," he snarled.

Widdon nodded in agreement. "And Grumman is doing nothing but indulging them," he added, a growl of his own in his voice. "He should never have been given the Fuhrer's seat," Widdon said. "It should've gone to someone who isn't so blinded by Mustang and Elric. The fact that his only grandchild is part of Mustang's team should've been a clear warning sign that Grumman would do everything in his power to protect them," he sneered.

"That mess with Belmont showed us all how obvious Grumman's favouritism was but, as expected, none of the other generals had enough of a spine to do anything about it," Combes snarled. "Mustang should've been dealt with completely at that time but once again, Elric's luck and Grumman's protection saved the bastard from getting what he deserved."

"He should've been on the business end of a firing squad the moment he got arrested," Widdon sneered. "Grumman's too soft to be Fuhrer," Widdon reiterated. "He protects Mustang then gives Elric permission to allow six complete strangers from a country no Amestrian – except, conveniently enough, Elric and Mustang – has ever heard of to investigate those murders. He gave six strangers complete access to the military and its records on the word of Elric alone!" Widdon exclaimed, his anger as intense four months later as it had been the day he and Combes had witnessed Grumman giving those strangers permission to aid Elric and his team.

Combes was nodding in agreement with Widdon's words and tone. "And he's doing it again now," Combes pointed out. "Ten strangers that have Mustang's and Elric's seal of approval are allowed to roam around Central and the base without much more than a soldier from Mustang's team as supervision! What's worse is five of them are lions and present an obvious danger to everyone but does Grumman see that? No, because his favourites told him the _lions_ would behave themselves!" Combes spat, fury blazing in his eyes.

"He's ignoring how dangerous those beasts are because he doesn't want to go back on his word," Widdon said matter-of-factly. "He gave Mustang and Elric his word that the Lions and their humans," Widdon's eyes rolled at the word, "would be free to walk around Central unhindered and what does nearly half that team do only a few hours later? Chase down and threaten a citizen whose only crimes were some measly assault and bumping into Elric!"

"I'm honestly surprised Grumman bothered to agree to a meeting with us, let alone talk with Elric and those Voltron members," Combes said. "I figured that as soon as he heard our concerns, Grumman would dismiss them and order us to stop slandering the names of innocent people," Combes divulged, though the sarcastic tone of his voice told Widdon exactly what he thought.

"He pretty much did that anyway. He might as well have not gone through the whole farce since we all knew there was no way he'd side with us," Widdon said and Combes nodded in complete agreement. "His decision not to listen to us is gonna come back and bite him in the arse and I, for one, cannot wait for that day to happen," Widdon said darkly.

"It might come sooner than you hope after what was discussed in that meeting yesterday," Combes said with a humourless chuckle. The reminder of the meeting yesterday had Widdon scowl. "I don't know why I'm surprised that Grumman okayed those Voltron bastards attending the Promised Day memorial if they were still here," Combes said, shaking his head.

"What I shouldn't have been surprised with was the fact that we were overruled! Even though it makes no sense having them there! They didn't fight alongside us on Promised Day and they didn't help with the clear up," Widdon exclaimed, conveniently forgetting that when the fighting had started in Central, both he and Combes were safe in their homes and had only helped with the clean up by giving orders. "All of our highest ranked military officials and close allies will be attending the ceremony and Grumman sees no problem in allowing five humans and five lions that we know next to nothing about attend!" he ranted.

"It's a serious breach of security and it all boils down to Grumman's blind faith in Mustang and Elric," Combes said, nodding knowingly and Widdon grunted in agreement.

They fell into silence while Combes signed a couple of reports. A nod from Combes to Widdon had the other man rising from his chair at the same time Combes did and they both left the inner office together. After dropping the files on the first desk Combes got to that was occupied by a member of his team and barking at the woman to get the files to whoever needed them, the two generals left the office. Just as Widdon had done when he was walking to Combes' office, both men ignored the soldiers who saluted them as they headed to the front gates. Normally the two of them would order a car each to drive them home – they _were_ generals and it was their right to be chauffeured everywhere – however they'd forgone the cars in order to pay visits to some of their joint ventures without there being a witness to the locations of these businesses. Neither of them noticed the yellow and pale-blue eyes that had started watching them the moment they'd been greeted by the front gate guards nor did they notice a lean figure shadowing them as they left the base.

* * *

"General Combes, General Widdon." The call of their names half an hour after the two generals had left the base had them turn to find the unfamiliar voice addressing them. "If I may have a word with the two of you?" the person asked, hands held up in a non-threatening, placid gesture.

It didn't take either man longer than a couple of seconds to realise who exactly was talking to them, despite the filthy clothing he wore and hood pulled up over his face to try and obscure it with its shadows, and both of them had their hands placed on their holstered weapons within a second of recognising Lotor. "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't call for back up right now," Widdon snarled, voice a low growl. Though they didn't want to do anything that would make them seem like they were on Mustang's side, if they caught and delivered Lotor to Grumman when even the Fullmetal Alchemist couldn't, it'd go a long way to repairing the damage their reputations had suffered at the hands of Edward Elric and his team.

"Please. What they say about me isn't true," Lotor said, his voice lightly pleading. "Voltron _lied_ about me and why they were tasked with hunting me down," Lotor told them. Widdon and Combes shared a look before they relaxed slightly and because of that shared look, they missed the way Lotor's eyes glinted with smugness and disdain at their reaction.

"Why were they tasked with hunting you down?" Combes asked, obviously not willing to trust Lotor at the drop of the hat but Lotor could work with that. This wouldn't be the first time he'd had to spend a bit of energy on making himself seem trustworthy while manipulating the people around him.

"They murdered my parents in order to try and control my race then learned of my existence," Lotor told them. "They feared that I would take up the mantle that belonged to my parents – as is my right – and tried to eliminate me so that they could manipulate who would fill my parents' role," Lotor said, making sure he sounded as angry and heartbroken as he should be by those events, had they actually happened.

Lotor could see by the way the two men's shoulder relaxed minutely that they were buying into his sob story and he felt a flare of hate and disgust roil in his gut at how easily manipulated these two were. It seemed some sort of decision was reached by the two of them and Lotor made sure his expression looked equal parts wary, hopeful, and fearful by the time they looked up at him. "Two alchemists who belong to our military said that you attacked them with no provocation and that you pose a threat to our country," Combes told him. There wasn't a question there but Lotor knew that the older-looking man was asking him to explain this.

"I don't know what an alchemist is," Lotor admitted somewhat truthfully, "but if you're talking about the young blonde who wears a red jacket and the older, black-haired man who seems to be able to manipulate flames, then it was them who attacked me with no provocation," Lotor told them. From what he'd overheard from those two back in the woods several days ago, they weren't fans of the men in front of him and Lotor would readily admit that most of his plan hinged on the feeling being mutual for these two. "I was merely trying to find my way home when I heard them talking. I thought I could find help as I was disorientated and unsure of where I was but the moment they saw me, the blonde attacked. Two of the Lions of Voltron were with him and I'm sure they took the opportunity to join him in attacking to further secure themselves in your country's good graces. The black-haired man joined the fight and it was all I could do to keep myself from getting killed before I could escape," Lotor told them. His eyes glinted with victory when he saw the devious looks the two generals shared.

"If you wouldn't mind following us, there's a place a few minutes away where we can continue this discussion in private," Widdon told him.

Lotor gave a small bow. "I would appreciate it," he told them. To anyone else, it may have seemed like he was putting all his faith in his manipulating abilities and while he did trust he had these two unknowingly under his thumb, Lotor also knew there was no way for the generals in front of him to organise a trap for him wherever they were going. On the off chance he was wrong, however, Lotor knew it'd take more than a couple of lowly humans to trap him successfully.

Widdon and Combes gave him a nod before they led the way, obviously expecting Lotor to follow them like some kind of obedient animal. At least Lotor didn't have to hide his sneer from them this way. Humans may have been the species who had managed to finally put an end to Haggar and his father – something Lotor half wanted to thank them for before he killed them – and they may have been able to hack the entire Galran communication system to send a virus through each ship that had affected all of the robot sentries, turning them on the real Galran soldiers but they were still mere humans. Haggar and Zarkon had let the fact that they'd not been defeated for so long get to their heads and had obviously underestimated this ridiculous species. Lotor would not allow himself to be that stupid.

* * *

True to Widdon's words, the three of them arrived at a large, abandoned warehouse only a few minutes after they had started walking. "This used to be a factory but it went out of business when the fiasco happened a year ago," Widdon explained. Lotor didn't care about the building's history but he knew just from their first meeting and the rumours he'd heard from the time he spent near the military base after he'd successfully evaded the search parties the previous day, these two generals had an over-inflated ego and self-importance. If sitting through a small talk about what was likely going to be his base of command's history was the price to pay to have these two under his control, Lotor would pay it.

"What are your terms for a team up with us?" Combes asked, causing Lotor to startle – though he didn't show any sign of it – and bring his mind back to the present.

"I merely ask for the opportunity to exact my revenge on Voltron before they can do something to your country and the chance to find my way home," Lotor told them, keeping his voice humble, like he couldn't believe his luck that these two were willing to hear him out. "I would also require supplies for however long it takes for that to happen but I have nothing to trade for them," he said. He made sure his tone reflected his false worries that this might be a deal breaker.

Widdon and Combes shared another glance and Lotor wanted to roll his eyes at how obvious they were about their excitement. It was evident to Lotor that they thought he had just given them the solution to a problem they'd wanted solved. "We'll give you all the supplies you need to stay comfortably here," Widdon told him, "and we will help you with your goals regarding Voltron and finding a way home," he said. "In exchange for that, we want you to take out the two alchemists who fought against you in Resembool," Widdon informed him. "That will be our price for our help and sponsorship," he said, tone firm.

"The brother would need to go as well, Russell," Combes said and Widdon gave an agreeing nod. "The blonde alchemist has a brother who he is exceptionally close too. You actually met him two days ago when they were in Keog," Combes informed him. "If Elric is killed, his brother would be insufferable to deal with so our price would be the death of the Elric brothers and Mustang, who is the alchemist who can manipulate fire," Combes told him.

Lotor frowned as he contemplated the terms. Really, three extra humans to kill wouldn't be a massive deal, even if they could use alchemy, however he doubted they would simply wait their turn to be murdered and Lotor knew his limits. Him against five humans armed with their weapons, three humans who could use alchemy – a skill he didn't know much about – and five lions wasn't a good idea. "I don't know if I would be able to handle all of Voltron plus your fee at the same time by myself. If you can find me people to help me fight, then I accept your terms," Lotor said. "If not, we may have to talk more about how I can take them out one or two at a time without being caught," he added before the generals could try and throw a fit at his terms.

Widdon and Combes didn't look happy about the fact that he wouldn't be able to take on thirteen people and Lions, all of which were highly trained, by himself, however Lotor could tell from the fact that they had turned away to have a hushed conversation that he was going to get what he wanted. It took a few minutes but Widdon and Combes turned back to him and gave a nod. "We'll see about finding an alchemist or two to help you against Voltron and the three alchemists we want you to get rid of. Our teams will also provide back-up for you however they are simple soldiers so the best they can do is cover you with their guns," Widdon informed him.

Lotor wasn't too happy that he wouldn't have more alchemists to rely on for assistance and would have to settle for ordinary humans armed with weapons so far below his own it was almost laughable, but he didn't let any of that displeasure show. He would just have to make do like he always did. "The extra assistance would be appreciated," Lotor told them, bowing slightly to show his non-existent thanks. "If you have the time this afternoon, Generals," Lotor said politely as he straightened, "I believe it would be beneficial for us to discuss this further and draw up a plan so we can get the ball rolling," Lotor suggested.

There was a flash of annoyance in Combes' eyes that told Lotor the grey-haired, moustached man certainly didn't appreciate Lotor's audacity but it was quickly gone when he realised it _was_ a smart plan. A look at Widdon told Combes that his fellow general was on board with doing as Lotor suggested so Combes gave the white-haired foreigner a nod as he sighed in relief to himself. Finally, things were looking up for him and Widdon and that they'd be rid of three of their biggest obstacles sooner than anticipated, all thanks to someone who Voltron claimed was dangerous and was likely to kill you on the spot rather than surrender or talk. Combes almost snorted to himself at the mental image that danced in his mind of Elric and Mustang finding out that their Voltron friends were the true danger, just as he and Widdon had been saying all along. He'd have to make sure that the two were left alive long enough to learn that fact and finally make them realise they weren't as clever as they thought they were before they were taken out.

"Let's get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, my friends! The next chapter is up and I really hope you enjoy it! Thank you to those of you who left me a comment and I really hope to see your thoughts on this chapter! See you all next week!


	24. Chapter 24

"Has there been any news about Lotor?" Ed asked as he, Al, Shiro, Lance, Blue and Black walked into Mustang's outer office two days after their search party failed to turn up any further signs of Lotor than what Ed had found in the tunnel filled with chimera corpses.

"Only tips from citizens," Hawkeye told him. "No one from the military has spotted him while they were on patrol but we are running down the tips we've been given. So far, none of them have panned out," she said, a touch apologetically.

Ed groaned in annoyance as he sat in his usual spot. "Nothing else has come in? No reports of break ins where only things needed to survive were taken? No reports of an abandoned building suddenly showing signs of someone living in it?" he asked but let out a small whine of irritation when Hawkeye shook her head.

"Nothing like that," she confirmed verbally.

"It's been over two days since he snuck into Central! How the hell has he been surviving if he hasn't been stealing anything?" Ed asked grumpily.

"He could have brought plenty of supplies with him when he entered Central. He just might not have needed to restock yet," Shiro suggested.

"That is so inconvenient of him to be prepared," Ed muttered, making several people at the table chuckle at his expression.

"So what are your plans, Chief?" Havoc asked, causing Ed to sigh once more.

"Well, I can't really do much except follow up on the more promising sounding tips," he admitted before he looked at the members of Voltron who were in the office. "If I can wrangle at least three more soldiers again, you guys are gonna split up so you can help," Ed told them and Shiro gave a nod.

"That sounds fine," Shiro said honestly. Having been part of one of the search parties above ground two days ago, Shiro had seen firsthand how the average citizen had reacted to the Lions. Though they'd obviously been wary to start with, the two days of searching for Lotor and just being out and about in Central had warmed a lot of the citizens up to the Lions and strangers with them. They were still obviously unsure of them but they didn't, for the most part, duck out of sight the moment they saw them either, which was a massive improvement. Just walking from Gracia's to the base this morning had shown how quickly most of the citizens had adapted to seeing Lions roaming around their city.

"What sounds fine?" Pidge asked as she entered the outer office, closely followed by Green and the remaining members of Voltron. Mustang was the last to enter and quirked a curious brow as he closed the door behind them.

"Splitting into five teams and running down leads from tips sent in by citizens concerning Lotor for the day," Ed told her.

"Oh," she said, scrunching her nose. "Sounds kinda boring, to be honest, but I've finished with your tablet so I don't have anything better to do with my time," she said, sighing slightly as she pulled Ed's tablet out of her bag and handed it back to him.

"Oh, thanks," Ed said as he took it back and looked over it. "What did you end up doing to it?" he asked curiously seeing as the tablet didn't physically look different.

"I hooked it up to my laptop and managed to connect it to my tablet, which is still on the Castle-Ship," she told him, grinning when Ed's jaw dropped. "I got to talk to my dad, Matt, and Allura last night," she announced, her grin growing wider when nearly everyone's jaws dropped at the news, leaving only Pidge, Keith, Hunk, and Mustang as the only ones aside from the Lions who didn't look surprised.

"You did?" Shiro asked and Pidge nodded, looking utterly satisfied with herself. "What's been happening? Are they okay?" he asked and Pidge gave another nod.

"Matt, Dad and Allura have been working around the clock on the dimension-jumping teleduv but they're still quite a ways off from getting it working," she told them. "Dad thinks it'll be at least another week before it's running and they can use it," she warned them. "Allura wanted me to tell you that so far they've managed to keep the fact that Voltron has disappeared a secret. No allies have reported having problems they need us to take care of and the Castle-Ship has been able to deal with the remaining Galrans that have caused a planet to send a distress signal. Allura told us that she's claimed that we're busy dealing with Lotor – which is true, technically – and that's why we weren't with the Castle-Ship. When the planet's leader had asked why Lotor was deemed more important than their people, Allura told them the truth about what happened to Judellie and what Lotor was searching for. She also told them about the fact that Lotor had stolen it from one of Markeri's moons, which is also when she let it slip about how dangerous the trans-reality stone was. The leader backed off and apologised for doubting us," Pidge informed them, a smugness in her voice as she imagined that scene going down.

"So we've got at least a week to find and deal with Lotor?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Pidge confirmed. "Dad and Matt want to try using different materials to build the machine since they think that could be part of why they couldn't get it working earlier," she said. "The material they want to use is pretty rare though so that's why it'll take them a while," Pidge explained. "They're also going to build a drone to send it through once they've gotten the machine working, just in case something happens to who- or whatever as they enter the portal," she said, "and that'll likely result in a couple more days of experimenting if the drone is destroyed," she added as an extra warning.

"I think I'd prefer being here for a few more days to being maimed or killed going through the portal," Hunk admitted with a slight chuckle.

"Me too, dude," Lance agreed.

" _We agree as well,"_ Green said, nodding in a way that meant Ed or Pidge didn't have to translate for her so everyone else knew what she said.

"So I can call your tablets from here?" Ed asked, still looking at his tablet.

"Yeah, you can video-call us," Pidge told him. "I'll teach you how to do it tonight," she offered.

"I'd appreciate that," Ed said, giving her a smile before he hid his tablet in the reinforced jacket pocket he kept it in if it had to leave Gracia's house.

"Since you're planning on splitting into five teams, I assume that means you're going to take someone from each team again?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded.

"Figured Breda and maybe Simon would like some time outta the office today," Ed said, causing the portly red-head to perk up with interest. "I was gonna see if Brookes would give me Owen for the day," Ed added with a shrug.

"I have no problem with Breda assisting you," Mustang told him. Only the upwards twitch of Mustang's lips gave them any hint that he'd seen Breda's fist pump of victory. "You'll have to ask Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert if she can spare Simon," Mustang instructed, earning himself an eyeroll from Ed.

"Really? I just assumed Lambert wouldn't mind if one of her men went AWOL for a day," Ed snarked.

Mustang opened his mouth to reply but the ringing of Hawkeye's phone interrupted him. He settled for glaring at Ed – who merely smirked in response – while Hawkeye answered the phone. "Brigadier-General Mustang's office," she answered, voice professionally polite. "Oh, hello, Gracia," she said, sounding mildly surprised and no one could really blame her for it. It was very rare for Gracia to call the office when she was at work. "They're both still here. I'll put Ed on for you," Hawkeye said before she held the phone out to Ed pointedly.

"Hey, Miss Gracia," Ed greeted once he had the phone held up to his ear. "What's up?"

" _Ed, I'm so sorry for asking you to do this but would you mind picking Elysia up from school at noon?"_ Gracia asked, her voice apologetic. _"I completely forgot the teachers were having a half day today to get some class-planning done until one of the other ladies mentioned it and I can't leave work early because we're short-staffed,"_ she explained before Ed could say anything.

"Chill, Miss Gracia," Ed said with a light chuckle. "I'll go get her. It's not a problem," he assured her. "She can spend the rest of the day here annoying Mustang until we're finished chasing down leads or you're done with work, whichever happens first," Ed told her, getting a roll of eyes from Mustang and a relieved chuckle from Gracia.

" _Thank you so much, Ed,"_ Gracia said, her voice a lot more relaxed now that her problem had been solved.

"All good," he promised her. "We'll see you later, Miss Gracia," Ed said.

" _Bye, Ed,"_ Gracia said before she hung up.

Ed handed the phone back to Hawkeye before he answered the question everyone seemed to be about to ask. "Elysia has a half-day today but Miss Gracia forgot about it so I'm picking her up at noon," he explained.

"That's odd," Al said, frowning slightly. "Elysia usually reminds us when she doesn't have school or won't be at school all day. I never heard her mention that school would be only a half-day today," Al said.

"Unless she forgot with all the excitement of the past few days," Ed pointed out.

"You probably have a point," Al conceded. "So I guess that means you're going to investigate the tips in the area El's school is?" he asked and Ed nodded.

"I'll branch out from that area once I've dropped her off here," Ed told him.

"How do you plan on keeping Elysia entertained while she's here?" Mustang asked. "It's not like we've got child-friendly things around the office for her," he pointed out.

Ed shrugged. "She'll have homework to do and once she's finished that she can watch some movies on my tablet. That'll keep her occupied until Miss Gracia picks her up or we call it a day," Ed told him.

"I don't have any meetings scheduled for today, do I?" Mustang asked Hawkeye, who immediately checked his schedule.

"No, there's nothing penciled in for today, sir," she told him.

Mustang gave a nod. "Elysia can use your tablet in my office without us worrying about someone accidentally seeing it then," he said.

"Awesome," was all Ed said in response to that. "I'm gonna go talk to Lambert and Brookes and get us all lists of leads to chase up," Ed told them, heading for the door. "And before you can ask, yes, some of you can come with me," he said, grinning at the Lions, all of whom were looking a little sheepish at being so obvious.

"I'm going," Pidge immediately said, which made Green look delighted.

" _So am I,"_ Red claimed half a second after Pidge finished telling them.

When Keith didn't put up any argument, Ed nodded. "I'm taking those four apparently," he said as he opened the door. "We'll be back in like half an hour probably," he told them, letting the green and red pairs head out of the office before him.

"Stay out of trouble, Chief," Havoc called as Ed went to close the door.

"No," Ed said simply before he shut the door.

"Truly, I don't actually know what I expected in response," Havoc stated, causing the others to laugh as he shook his head.

"Since we'll apparently have Elysia keeping us company this afternoon, I suggest you get started on your paperwork before you're distracted, sir," Hawkeye advised Mustang, her voice level but everyone could hear the hinted threat of what she would do if he tried arguing with her.

"That's a good idea," Mustang said with a nod, pretending not to notice his team's amusement. "If Fullmetal can't get Simon or Owen, Falman has my permission to go with one of the Voltron pair," Mustang said, knowing that someone would tell Ed. Once he was given a nod from Hawkeye, he turned to the remaining members of Voltron. "Have fun chasing down leads," he said, knowing full well how interesting those could end up being just from stories his team had told over the years.

"We'll try," Shiro said wryly, giving Mustang the impression that the Black Paladin knew exactly what the amusement in his tone had been about.

With a warning look from his captain, Mustang headed into his office with the order that he was to be alerted when Elysia arrived or if one of the teams had found something. He made sure the door was shut before he glared at the stacks of paperwork on his desk. He'd thought his promotion to brigadier-general had come with a significant increase in paperwork but his promotion to the head of the State Alchemists branch had shown him just how much more it could increase by. Sighing, he placed his cover on a hook, along with his black overcoat and military jacket before he took a seat and did as his captain had told him to do. Ed's tablet may keep Elysia entertained for a while but Mustang knew he'd likely get drawn into helping his goddaughter/niece with her homework or drawings at some stage that afternoon and he didn't want to be too far behind in his work and give Hawkeye an excuse to use her gun on him.

* * *

" _How long until we go pick Elysia up?"_ Yellow asked as she walked in between Ed and Hunk, making their way to the next address on their list.

"We have half an hour before we have to go get her," Ed answered, "which means we should have enough time to get two more leads checked before we head out," he said.

Yellow groaned in annoyance and Ed really couldn't blame her. They'd spent all morning walking around this suburb of Central and had so far not gotten any solid leads for their troubles. Ed knew that most of the tipsters were just trying to be helpful when they called in but Ed just wished they wouldn't call in because they spotted someone who might've had white hair (they didn't; it was an elderly lady with long, greying hair) and would only call in if they actually spotted Lotor. Unfortunately, the universe never worked in Ed's favour so he would have to deal with all of the useless tips coming in.

"It's only two more houses," Hunk said, trying to soothe his Lion's annoyance.

" _I know,"_ Yellow said sulkily. _"I just wished we had more of an idea of where Lotor is and what his plans are. So far all we've got is that he was probably underground at some point and likely has plenty of supplies still because no one has reported any food stolen from their store or home during the night,"_ Yellow complained.

Ed and Hunk both scratched her behind her ears. "We know but we'll get him eventually. He'll have to slip up at some stage," Ed told her, trying to be the optimist his brother insisted he wasn't.

" _It had better be soon,"_ Yellow grumbled and earned herself another scratch from each of them.

They walked in silence for a couple more minutes before Ed checked his file full of addresses. "Alright, this is the next one," he told them as they took in the small but well-maintained wooden house nestled in between two two-story houses. "The caller I.D'd themselves as Jessica Brown and told the secretary who took the call that she'd seen someone suspicious near her work," Ed said, reading the information straight out of the file in his hands.

"I guess we should go see whether she can elaborate on that any further," Hunk said, not sounding hopeful as he looked at the white door in front of them.

"Let's get it over and done with," Ed said before he raised his automail fist and knocked on the door solidly. It didn't take long for someone to come to the door and open it to greet them. "Miss Jessica Brown?" Ed asked, taking in the middle-aged lady in front of them.

"Mrs. Brown," came the correction and Ed gave a nod of understanding. "Who are you?" the woman asked, glaring at them suspiciously. There was fear in her eyes when she took in Yellow but, to her credit, Mrs. Brown didn't let it show any further than that.

"My name is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and these are Hunk and Yellow," Ed said, introducing the three of them quickly. Mrs. Brown's eyes widened in recognition and she seemed to stand a little straighter. "We're here in regard to the tip you phoned in to Central Command yesterday evening," he told her.

"I've been expecting someone to come and see me about that ever since I phoned it in. I would've thought the military would've been here sooner with how dangerous this criminal is," she told them, lips pursed in displeasure.

"Well, you weren't the only one to phone in a tip," Ed informed her bluntly, "and we've been chasing done leads all morning, as have the other teams working the streets today," he said, taking a small amount of pleasure in the sheepishness he could see in her body language. "We just want to ask some clarifying questions if you aren't too busy?"

"No, I've got some free time," she told them, a touch politer than she had been before.

"This shouldn't take too long," Ed promised and she gave a nod. "Firstly, at what time did you see the suspect and where were you?" he asked.

"It was nearing 6:30pm and I was walking home from work," she told them. "I think I had just passed the grocery store on the corner of Cranley and Taylor streets when I spotted him," she said.

"Okay," Ed said, noting that. "What made you think it was the criminal, Lotor?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not certain," Mrs. Brown admitted and Ed felt a sigh build up in his chest. "In all honesty, when I first spotted him, I didn't think much of him," she told them, "but he looked around the area, almost like he was expecting someone or making sure no one was nearby, the streetlight he was near shone on him and I could've sworn his skin was a light purple," she said, laughing lightly. "It sounds a bit silly and it was probably just the way the light reacted with his skin that made it look that way but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something _off_ about him," she admitted. "It wasn't until I was home last night and saw the front cover of the newspaper that I remembered the military was searching for a war criminal from another country and thought I should call it in," she said.

"And we thank you for doing so," Ed said, feeling a small flame of hope flutter in his chest. The military knew, of course, that Lotor had purple skin but that hadn't been a detail released to the media – on Brookes' orders – so they would have a way to prioritise leads. If someone mentioned seeing someone with purple skin, their lead was investigated immediately. Unfortunately, Mrs. Brown had only mentioned seeing someone suspicious loitering near her work, which was why Ed, Hunk and Yellow hadn't visited her first thing. "Can you tell me exactly where this man was standing?" Ed asked.

Mrs. Brown hummed in thought. "Well, he was standing on my right as I walked east along Taylor street," she told them. "He was on Cranley street, heading south. He was standing in front of a small store. I think it was a bakery, actually," she said. "I don't know where he went however since, as I said, he gave me an uneasy feeling and I didn't want to linger," she said, a touch of apology in her voice.

"That's alright, Mrs. Brown," Ed assured her, giving the older woman a small smile. "Can you remember what he was wearing?" he asked.

"Oh, it was nothing special. A long-sleeved white shirt and a pair of brown slacks. He had a black jacket on that had a hood and I remember that because I couldn't see his hair since he had the hood pulled up," she recounted. "The clothes he had on were filthy though. I don't think he's washed them recently," she said, her nose wrinkling slightly in disgust.

"You didn't see anyone else suspicious on the street?" Ed asked but she shook her head. Ed figured it would've been too much to ask for. "Do you have any questions, Hunk?" Ed asked the Yellow Paladin.

"Actually, I have one," he said and Ed nodded for him to go ahead. "Did you see him carrying a bag of some sort?"

Mrs. Brown hummed slightly. "No, not that I can recall," she finally said.

"Okay," Ed said when it was obvious Hunk didn't have any more questions. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Brown. If we need any more details from you at a later date, we'll be in contact," Ed told her, closing the file he'd been writing in.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Brown said, looking a little startled that there weren't any further questions.

The three of them headed away from the house, staying quiet until they heard the soft click that indicated the door had been closed. "Alright, we're heading to that bakery she thought Lotor was standing near," Ed said. Hunk and Yellow looked completely unsurprised. "I'm hoping they've got some kind of security, even if it's just someone who watches the building," Ed said as they turned onto another street.

"Is that common?" Hunk asked. "Businesses hiring people to just watch their buildings at night?"

Ed waved his hand in a 'so-so' motion. "It's more common for major businesses, as you can imagine," he told them and they both nodded. "However, if a business can afford it or if they're in a high-crime area or if they've been targeted several times and it's cheaper to hire a watcher, they will," Ed explained. "Some businesses are lucky and their neighbours have hired a watcher who will report anything they see happen to neighbouring businesses. Business owners will sometimes go in on hiring a watcher or watchers since it works out a little cheaper," he told them.

"Do you think this bakery will have a security system?" Hunk asked while Yellow looked at Ed curiously.

Ed shrugged a shoulder. "If it's the bakery I think it is, then maybe," Ed said. "The owner is a genius with pastries so it's very popular," Ed told them, nearly drooling as he remembered the last time he'd grabbed something from there. "I know she suffered a couple of break-ins before Promised Day. I investigated one of them since there was evidence an alchemist had been behind it," he explained. "I caught the dickhead that night as well. Idiot wanted to try and find her recipes so he could start his own bakery but Elena doesn't keep her recipes in the store so he didn't get them. Al and I were actually at Elena's home that night to ask some follow-up questions when we heard a window break in her guest room. Caught the moron as he climbed in through the window," Ed told them, chuckling as he remembered his own complete disbelief as he'd watched the alchemist drop in through the window, climb to his feet then catch sight of him and Al standing there.

Both Hunk and Yellow laughed as they imagined that scene. _"You really weren't exaggerating when you said criminals here were idiots, were you?"_ Yellow asked, chuckles still evident in her voice.

Ed grinned widely as he led the pair down Taylor street. "I really wasn't," he told her.

"So what happened after you found him?" Hunk asked curiously.

"Well, once the idiot realised he'd been spotted, he tried claiming he was trying to surprise his girlfriend," Ed told them and earned himself another round of laughter. "I'm not sure why he tried using that lie since we were in Elena's house and it was obvious she didn't have a boyfriend since there weren't any items around the house to indicate there was someone else living there and Elena was right behind us and immediately told us she was single," Ed said, shaking his head at the stupidity shown by the would-be thief. "Once he'd come to the conclusion he wasn't going to be believed, he tried to leap out of the window he'd just broken through. Fortunately, Al was far quicker than he was and had managed to grab him by the ankle and drag him back into the room. I arrested him for breaking into Elena's home and questioned him about the break-in into her bakery. At first he denied it – obviously – but then he'd slipped up and said he hadn't been anywhere near her bakery at midnight, which was when we'd suspected it had been broken into," Ed explained.

"Wait, why was that a slip-up?" Hunk asked, a little confused.

Ed grinned. "Because we hadn't told him when it had been broken into and because the break-in had happened after the newspapers for that day had already been printed, the media couldn't run the story until the next day. Even the radio stations hadn't mentioned the break-in, at our request," he said. "I ended up going back to her bakery and home the next day and repairing the damage and placing a few traps around them so she didn't have to worry about someone breaking in again," he added.

"Wow, what an idiot," Hunk said, shaking his head slightly in amusement and disbelief.

"I know but he wasn't even the stupidest criminal Al and I have taken down, believe it or not," Ed told them. The two of them certainly didn't look like they believed him, which caused Ed to chuckle as he turned left and headed down Cranley street. "It was probably one of the easiest cases Al and I ever investigated though," he added thoughtfully.

" _It would've been. He practically handed himself to you!"_ Yellow exclaimed.

Ed hummed in agreement. "Honestly, easiest case I can think of right now," Ed told her before he came to a stop in front of the bakery three buildings down the street from the corner.

Looking around, Ed could see the grocery store Jessica Brown had mentioned on the corner in front and opposite him. At this distance and in broad daylight, it was laughably easy to see the people walking in and out of the store. Above him and to his current left was a streetlight that seemed to be perfectly functional, though it was off right now, so Ed knew the chances of Mrs. Brown not being able to see the colour of Lotor's skin were pretty slim. Her eyesight had seemed perfectly fine to Ed when they were talking to her, in any case.

"So this is the bakery?" Hunk asked, taking in the building with a curious eye. 'Elena's Bakery' was written in a nice, easy-to-read cursive in black letters that stood out clearly against the white of the of the building.

"This is it," Ed confirmed before he entered the building. The small bell attached to the top of the door frame chimed when they opened the door, alerting the workers to a new customer. "Morning," Ed greeted the teenager manning the front counter.

"Morning," she chirped back automatically before she took in the Yellow Lion with them. "Uh, pets aren't allowed in the store?" she said, looking like she was doing her best not to run at the sight of Yellow.

"She's not a pet but I promise you that she is very clean and she won't go near the food displays," Ed told her, trying to not show his amusement at Yellow's indignation at being called a pet. "Besides, I won't be long. Is Miss Elena in?" he asked.

The teenager nodded, looking thoroughly relieved that she wouldn't have to find an excuse to try and leave the front counter. "I'll go get her for you," she said.

"Thanks. Let her know Ed Elric is the one asking for her," he requested. The teenager barely nodded before she fled the area. "It never gets boring seeing people's reactions to you guys," Ed remarked casually as he perused the food displays and debated what he should get and whether he would be nice enough to buy stuff for the team to eat.

"Edward!" a happy voice called from where the teenager had disappeared to and the three of them looked up to find a woman in her late thirties with strawberry blonde hair and a massive smile on her face walking towards them.

"Hey, Miss Elena!" Ed said, his grin almost as wide as hers. The woman wrapped him up into a hug that Ed returned after a moment. "How have you been?" he asked once she let go of him.

"Really good!" Elena said. "Business has been really taking off lately. I'm honestly thinking of opening a second bakery on the other side of Central," she told him.

"Really? That's awesome!" he told her, honestly happy for the vibrant woman. The sound of a throat clearing itself in his mind reminded him there were others with him. "Oh, right. Miss Elena, please let me introduce you to Hunk and Yellow, one pair of the foreigners who arrived in Central recently," Ed said, gesturing to them. He could see the teenager watching everything from the doorway that led to the massive kitchen area in the back of the bakery.

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you!" she said, smiling brightly at them. "I've been hoping you might bring some of them by so I can say I've met one of the lions everyone is talking about," she told Ed.

"Well, I'm glad I could do that for you," Ed laughed, watching as Yellow walked right up to Elena and circled her, as though checking her out and making sure she was trustworthy.

" _I like this one,"_ Yellow declared as she sat next to Elena and nudged her head up under her hand, encouraging the woman to pet her.

"This is awesome!" Elena declared, her eyes sparkling as she scratched Yellow's ears. "As great as this is," Elena said after a few moments where she was just petting Yellow, "I'm assuming you're here for a reason that's not just grabbing yourself a few treats?" she asked, nodding to the file Ed held in his hand.

"You'd be right," Ed told her, getting to the point of why they were there. They did have to go pick Elysia up soon, after all. "A woman walking home from work last night called in a tip to the hotline to tell us she saw a suspicious person loitering near your bakery. She had reason to believe it was the criminal we've been looking for and after hearing her statement, I'm inclined to believe she did spot him here. I was hoping that you had a security system in place that could help us figure out where he went?" Ed asked.

Elena gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ed, but no, we don't," she told him. "Crime around here has dropped pretty low. No one's been targeted in the last few months so we haven't hired anyone to keep an eye on the place," she said. "I mean, we haven't had to hire anyone since word got out that you placed alchemic traps around the bakery," she divulged.

Ed let out a small sigh before he nodded. "I figured it was a long shot you had extra security measures in place," he said, giving her a smile that told her he didn't blame her. "Do any of your close neighbours have watchers?" he asked but was once again disappointed when she shook her head. "Guess they don't need them since crime has been down in this area," he commented and she gave him a nod.

"Yeah, that's pretty much their thinking," she confirmed.

"Alright, thanks anyways, Miss Elena," Ed said, giving her another smile.

"Anytime, Ed. I just wish I could've been more help," she said, looking regretful.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Elena," Ed told her. "It was good seeing you again and I'm really glad business is going so well for you," he said, gaining a smile almost as big as the one she had greeted him with from her.

"That's sweet of you to say, Ed," she told him. "Do you guys want to grab anything before you leave?" she asked and Ed nodded enthusiastically.

"We'd be idiots not to," he told her honestly, causing her to laugh.

Elena scratched Yellow once more behind the ears before she rounded the other side of the counter and readied herself with a pair of tongs. "What would you like?"

"I'll take an apple turnover with cream and," Ed said before humming, "I'll grab one of your raspberry twists for Elysia, as well as two bottles of orange juice, please," he decided. "What do you two want?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to Hunk and Yellow.

"Oh, I'll grab a custard tart for Yellow and I'll get…" Hunk trailed off as he contemplated his choices carefully. "I'll take that mini caramel and cinnamon pull-apart and just a bottle of water, please," he finally said.

Elena was quick to bag each food item while her employee grabbed the drinks from the fridge, obviously having realised by now that Yellow wasn't going to eat her. "Here you go," Elena said as she handed the four bags over. Ed was quick to palm them off to Hunk while he grabbed the drinks from the teenager. Once Hunk had his water in his hands and Ed could do so, the blonde dug around for his wallet. "You don't pay in this store and you know it," Elena informed him before he could grab his wallet.

"Yeah but normally I'm grabbing stuff for me and Al," he said. "At least let me pay for their food," Ed said but Elena shook her head.

"Nope. You two gave me the bragging rights about getting to pat one of the lions. That's payment enough," she told him firmly, a smirk on her face.

Ed sighed but gave in, knowing full well that Elena could be more stubborn than him if she wanted to be. "Thank you, Miss Elena," Ed said, giving her a big smile. "We'll see you later," he told her as he nodded to Hunk and Yellow, silently telling them to start heading for the door.

"No problems, Edward. Make sure you bring your other friends around if you can," Elena told him.

"Will do," Ed said as he nudged the door open and held it for Hunk and Yellow since Hunk had his hands full. "See you!"

"Bye!" Elena called back, waving at them as Ed shut the door behind himself.

"She was really friendly," Hunk said as Ed grabbed his and Elysia's food from the Yellow Paladin. "It was really nice of her to give us the food," he added.

"Yeah, she's one of the better people around Central," Ed told him as he led the pair back up Cranley street. "Al likes to call her a ray of sunshine since she's always really happy. Even after discovering her store had been broken into, Elena was really upbeat," he said. "I envy her optimism sometimes," Ed laughed.

"So do I," Hunk told him with a chuckle. "Do you want your custard tart now or later?" he asked Yellow, who hummed in contemplation.

" _I'll have it now,"_ she told him. Giving her a nod, Hunk checked both bags before he grabbed out her tart and fed it to her while they were waiting for some traffic to clear before they crossed the street. It didn't take long for Yellow to devour it. _"You weren't kidding when you said her food was good,"_ Yellow said as she licked her chops, mourning the fact the tart was gone so quickly.

"I haven't met a pastry chef who has beaten her yet," Ed told him, a bit of pride in his voice for his friend. "I'm glad we made the detour though," Ed said. "Elysia's school is closer to Elena's bakery than it is to the other address we were going to head to originally," Ed told them.

"Plus, we got good food," Hunk added and Ed laughed.

"Yeah, that was definitely a bonus," he agreed, chuckling a little, before he pulled his pocket watch out and checked the time. "Alright, we've got under ten minutes to make it to Elysia's school," he told them. "Wanna use that time to take bets on what people's reactions will be to seeing Yellow?" he asked, grinning cheekily.

"You're on," Hunk said, his grin widening when Yellow gave him an annoyed look that had no heat behind it. "What are you willing to bet?"

* * *

"Big Brother Ed!" came the delighted squeal from Elysia they had been expecting the moment she laid eyes on the three of them standing near the gates. "Hunk! Yellow!"

"El!" Ed called back, waving to the excited nearly seven-year-old who was now running straight for them. Ed wanted to laugh at the awed looks on her schoolmates' faces and the expressions ranging from disbelief to worry on the adults' faces as they watched her fearlessly run straight for him and the Yellow Lion. Elysia crashed into him first and Ed happily returned the hug. "Were you good today?" he asked.

"I was!" she told him, grinning widely before she latched onto Hunk's legs then Yellow's neck. "How come you guys are the ones to pick me up?" she asked once she finished hugging the two.

"Your mum couldn't leave work," Ed told her. "She wanted me to tell you that she's really sorry she couldn't but that you get to spend the afternoon annoying your Uncle Roy while Hunk, Yellow, and I keep working," he said.

Elysia's face fell when she realised she wouldn't get to spend time with them but it brightened at the thought of spending time with Mustang. "Okay, big brother!" she said happily before she spotted the bakery goods in his hands. "What's that?" she asked.

"Well, before I came to get you, we went and paid a visit to Miss Elena," Ed told her, grinning when her face lit up with excitement, "and I got you a raspberry twist and orange juice," he continued saying, "but you can only have them if you tell me honestly about whether you have homework that needs to be done today," he told her before she could get too excited.

Elysia deflated immediately. "Yeah, I do," Elysia told him, sulking a little. "Mr. Bryan gave me lots of homework," she whined.

"Sucks to be in school, huh?" Ed said sympathetically, barely holding his laughter back when Elysia nodded solemnly. "Well, since you were honest, here you go," Ed said, holding out the bag containing her tart. "Give us your schoolbag," he said, holding out his right hand for it. Elysia didn't hesitate and Ed hooked it over his shoulder before he twisted the lid on her juice, breaking the seal, before he tightened it a little and handed it to her.

"Thank you, big brother!" Elysia said happily as she took the juice from him.

"You can eat and drink while we walk," Ed told her. "We've gotta get you to the office so we can get back to work and hopefully finish earlier rather than later," Ed said, taking her spare hand so he could lead her through the crowd while she concentrated on eating her twist.

Ed made sure to keep an eye on the parents they walked through. He knew the teachers wouldn't do anything since Gracia had scared them so much after the Belmont incident but he wouldn't have put it past a few of the parents trying to approach him and chastise him for bringing an animal as 'dangerous' as Yellow was around children. Yellow, for her part, looked thoroughly unphased by the attention she was getting as she walked as close to Elysia as she possibly could, however Ed and Hunk could sense her worry. She didn't want to cause any problems just by walking through a crowd but Ed was quick to soothe her worries, telling her silently that he wouldn't let someone start something just because they were too thick to figure out she was harmless if not given a reason not to be otherwise.

Thankfully, none of the parents did anything more than stop their child from trying to pat Yellow as they passed them, which Ed was grateful for once he heard more than one parent whisper to their child who he was and that he was probably busy and couldn't introduce them to the lion that day. Once he heard that though, he just knew that Elysia would be coming home from school tomorrow night and begging him to bring the Lions to her school one afternoon so everyone could meet them. From the look he got from Hunk and Yellow, they knew it as well.

Ed made the executive decision to eat his apple turnover while Elysia was busy with her food so that the young girl wouldn't be interrupting him with questions and stories if he tried eating it later. Hunk seemed to have the same thought since he pulled his own treat out soon after Ed did and started devouring it. Utilising the years of practice he had at eating something messy while on the move, Ed polished off his pastry quickly without leaving a mess of icing sugar on his black shirt or jacket. Crumpling up the empty bag, Ed tossed it in the next bin they passed before doing the same with his juice bottle, having sculled the contents.

"How was school today?" Ed asked once Elysia had thrown her empty bag in another bin and finished the last bite of her twist.

"It was fun!" Elysia told him enthusiastically. "We had arts and crafts this morning since school wasn't going to be going _all_ day like it usually does and the teachers know we like arts and crafts better than everything else so they thought it should be first," she explained before eagerly going into detail about her class at Hunk's prompting. Ed made sure to pay close attention to what she was saying so he could comment here and there but for the most part, he just allowed himself to enjoy the down-time before they had to get back to the annoyance that was running down leads.

* * *

"Mustang in his office? I have a delivery for him," Ed said in lieu of greeting as he carted a giggling Elysia into the outer office.

"Hello, Elysia," Hawkeye greeted, giving the young girl a warm and friendly smile before she paid attention to Ed while the others said their own hellos to Elysia. "Yes, he's in there and no, there's no one in there with him right now," she told him before he could ask.

"Awesome," Ed said. "Would you mind doing me a favour while I get Elysia set up in there?" he asked her. When he got a nod, he continued. "Can you call Brookes and see if I can drop by in like fifteen minutes?"

"Of course," Hawkeye told him. "Make sure you don't distract your uncle too much, Elysia," she said to the young girl.

"Don't you listen to her, El," Ed stage-whispered to her, causing another bout of giggles. "Say goodbye to Hunk and Yellow. You might not see them again today if your mum beats us here," he told her, releasing his hold on her so she could do just that.

"Bye, Hunk! Bye, Yellow!" Elysia said as she hugged each of them tightly, only moving on to Yellow when Hunk had hugged her back.

" _She is too cute for this world,"_ Yellow cooed as she nuzzled Elysia's cheek. _"I'm half tempted to steal her when we leave,"_ she confessed.

"Miss Allura wouldn't have to invent a dimension-hopping machine if you did because Miss Gracia would figure out a way to jump dimensions herself to get Elysia back," Ed told her through their bond, laughing slightly when Yellow pouted in response.

"Come on, El," Ed said, keeping it a bit quieter since Hawkeye was now on the phone. Elysia was quick to let go of Yellow so she could follow Ed to Mustang inner office. "Oi, Mustang! Pretend you're doing work so you can make a good impression on Elysia," Ed said through the door instead of knocking before he pushed it open.

"Uncle Roy!" Elysia squealed loud enough for Ed to flinch slightly at the volume.

Mustang barely managed to hide his own as he smiled at Elysia, pushing his chair back so he could let his niece clamber into his lap to give him a hug. "How are you, Elysia?" he asked, hugging her back.

"I'm good, Uncle Roy," she said. "Big brother Ed and Hunk and Yellow picked me up from school today!" she told him, oblivious to the fact that he already knew that.

"How nice of them," Mustang said, getting an eyeroll from Ed, who was now placing Elysia's backpack on one of his couches.

"You have homework to get done today, missy," Ed reminded her, making her pout, "and your uncle has paperwork to get through, by the looks of it," Ed added, smirking when Mustang pouted. "Come on, El," he told her, beckoning her over to the couch. "The quicker you get started on this, the quicker it's done," he reminded her.

"I know," she sulked as she did as she was asked. "Homework is so boring though!" she told him as she sat in front of the coffee table Ed was setting up as her desk.

"I know but unfortunately you still have to do it," Ed told her. She did not look impressed. "However, if you get all your homework done before your mum or I get back, you can watch some movies off my tablet, so long as there is no one other than your uncle, Miss Riza, Havoc, Fuery or Falman are this room, okay?" he warned her. "No one else is allowed to see it, remember?"

"I remember, big brother," she said seriously. It had been one of the few things Ed had been given that he'd stressed the importance of it not being seen about and Elysia hadn't slipped once, not even to her best friends at school.

"Good," Ed said, giving her a hug. "I'll leave it with your uncle but I've gotta go," he told her. "We had a promising lead about a bad guy and I've gotta see if it'll take us anywhere," he said. Though he was speaking to Elysia, his words were more for Mustang.

"Alright, big brother," Elysia said. "Be careful," she ordered, giving him a big hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Always am, kiddo," he told her. "I'll see you tonight. Do your homework," he ordered once more, grinning when she sighed but dutifully picked up her pencil once she'd let go of him.

"Where was your lead?" Mustang asked as Ed approached his desk, pulling out his tablet from its reinforced hiding place.

"Near Elena's Bakery," Ed told him, keeping his voice low so Elysia wouldn't overhear him. "A woman spotted Lotor near there last night. Told me and Hunk about seeing a man who looked like he had purple skin standing outside Elena's and looking around like he was waiting for someone or checking there was no one nearby," Ed reported, handing over his tablet.

Mustang took it with a frown of concern on his face. "Did Elena have any security systems in place that might've caught him?" Mustang asked but Ed shook his head.

"No, so Hunk, Yellow and I are gonna talk to Brookes and get a list of addresses who had called in tips near Elena's and see if we can't find something," Ed told him. "Make sure she actually gets her homework done before Miss Gracia picks her up. She won't be doing it after her sugar high runs out," Ed said, smirking when Mustang shook his head in exasperation.

"Of course you fed her sugar," he said, a grin playing at his lips before he hid the tablet in one of his desk drawers, just in case someone came into his office before Elysia was finished her homework.

"Absolutely. Had to keep it interesting for you somehow," Ed told him with a grin before he headed for the door. "We'll be back this afternoon. Bye, El!" he called out, looking over his shoulder to find Elysia waving at him.

"Bye, big brother!" she called back, giggling when Ed pointedly gestured to her homework book and dug back into it.

Ed saw Mustang's slightly worried expression and though he felt himself warm at the show of concern, Ed merely rolled his eyes while grinning at his boss before he left the room, closing the door behind him. He didn't get a word out before Hawkeye was talking. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes said he is free all afternoon," she told him.

"Awesome, thank you for doing that," he said, nodding gratefully to her. "We're gonna head back out after meeting up with Brookes so we'll see you guys later," Ed told them, already walking towards the door where Hunk and Yellow were still waiting.

"Stay safe out there, you three," Hawkeye ordered.

"We'll do our best," Ed told her, pairing the promise with a grin. "Have fun!"

"We'll do our best, Chief," Havoc laughed, echoing Ed's own words and earning himself the finger from the blonde alchemist before he disappeared out of the office with the Yellow team. "What's the bet -?"

"No betting," came the strict order from their captain, making sure Havoc's sentence wasn't allowed to be finished. Havoc pouted for exactly one second before the arched brow and hand twitched towards her weapon got him and the others back to work without another word said. No one was brave enough to mention the small, satisfied smirk on Hawkeye's lips as they delved back into their paperwork.

* * *

Both Widdon and Combes glanced at one another before they took in the brunette woman in front of them. "You're Terry Fisher?" Widdon asked, consulting the file that he'd stolen from the military records room.

"Yes," she answered curtly. "What does the military want with me?"

"Your alchemic speciality is lightening? Producing it from nearby electrical sources and any electrical charges in the air around you?" Widdon asked, ignoring her question.

The brunette frowned. "Yes," she told them. "What is this about?" she asked.

"You applied to become a State Alchemist at the last set of exams but was turned down," Combes said bluntly and Fisher's lips thinned until they were almost invisible, a sure sign of her irritation.

"Yes," she practically hissed. "The military decided my alchemy wasn't unique or useful enough for them to use and since I'm not a genius like the Elric brothers, my application was denied." The way she spat Ed and Al's last name made Widdon and Combes grin slightly.

"We looked over your application file and we think you're extremely talented. It says here that you created your alchemic array from scratch?" Widdon asked. When Fisher nodded, he made sure he looked appropriately awed. "That is very impressive," he told her.

"How much would it mean for you to join the State Alchemist branch?" Combes asked.

Fisher's brown eyes misted over slightly and Combes wanted to sneer at the show of emotion. It was one of the reasons he thought women only belonged in the military as secretaries or other such roles. "It's been my dream to join the State Alchemy program since it was first initiated," she told them. "That's why I worked so hard on my array. I've never heard of an alchemist who could do what I can. I spent _years_ developing and perfecting that array, as well as making sure I was somewhat competent in other areas. When I heard a 12-year-old was admitted to the program, I felt sure I would be as well. My alchemy was unique and it would be extremely effective on the frontlines, after all. I spent another five years perfecting my array," she told them before her expression darkened, "only to find out I was rejected! An ability as unique as mine was thrown out like it was nothing! Like I hadn't sacrificed _years_ of my life to perfecting it!" she snarled.

Widdon and Combes shared another look as the woman in front of them seethed. The file in Widdon's hands told them why she had been turned down. Her alchemy, as impressive as it was, wasn't versatile and could only be really used during a fight, as Fisher had said. With Grumman in charge and trying to steer their country towards peace with their neighbouring countries, alchemy that could be extremely effective on the frontlines, like Fisher's, but wasn't versatile weren't sought after anymore. As she had said, Fisher was only competent in other alchemies, which didn't read well with the exam proctor and her psychological exam had left a lot to be desired as well. All in all, the proctor who dealt with her thought Fisher's questionable alchemy skills paired with her psychological issues meant she wasn't suitable for the program and had rejected her.

Now, six months later, it was obvious that Fisher was still angry about the decision and that was exactly what the two generals were hoping for. "We believe the military made a mistake in rejecting your application," Widdon told her. Her head snapped up so quickly, it startled the two generals.

"Really?" she asked hopefully and both generals knew they had her.

"Really," Widdon confirmed, lying through his teeth. "We would be honoured to back you at the next State Alchemists exam," he told her. Fisher practically glowed with hope and it took everything in Widdon and Combes to not sneer at her obvious display of emotions. "However, in order for us to be honest about your abilities, we would need to see them in action," Widdon told her, making sure to look apologetic about this obstacle.

"And we have the perfect opportunity for you to do so," Combes told her before she could say anything. "Tomorrow afternoon we are planning a coup against two of our State Alchemists and a civilian alchemist. It has come to our attention that these three have brought dangerous criminals into Amestris and are acting as though they aren't. These criminals pose a massive risk to Amestris and her people and they have chosen an innocent civilian of their home country as their scapegoat," Combes told her, feeling an enormous amount of self-pride when he managed to get through the first half of the lie without showing his glee at the idea of taking Mustang and the Elric brothers down for good. "With the help of this civilian, we plan on luring the criminals and traitors into a trap where we will then rid ourselves of them however we could use an alchemist of your calibre to help us save Amestris and her people," Combes said, allowing some false pleading to enter his voice. Really, the things he did to rid the military of troublemakers like Mustang and Elric were nothing to be sneered at.

"Who are the alchemists?" Fisher asked, looking shocked at the news.

"The Elric brothers and the Flame Alchemist," Widdon told her immediately. The moment the name 'Elric' was mentioned, her eyes darkened dangerously and both Widdon and Combes grinned at the fact that they definitely had her on board now.

"The Flame Alchemist is the only reason that child was permitted into the Sate Alchemy branch. He probably had a hand in turning down my application. He is in charge of the whole branch," she seethed. Widdon and Combes were quick to nod in agreement in an effort to make sure she agreed to help them and Lotor. Fisher suddenly turned serious as she looked at both generals. "If I help with this, you two will back me in the next State Alchemist exam?" she asked.

"Not only will we do that, you will be known as a hero for helping us rid our country of thirteen extremely dangerous threats," Widdon told her, keeping eye contact. The generals, of course, had no desire to back her next application nor did they plan on publicly revealing her help in the small coup they had planned but she didn't need to know that.

Widdon's words seemed to solidify Fisher's decision and she nodded, missing the victorious grin the two shared as she imagined herself being lorded as a hero. Looking back up at both the generals and making eye contact with them, Fisher asked the question the two had been waiting for. "What do you need me to do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter for all of you! Many thanks to those who left me reviews on the last chapter and I can't wait to see what you think to this chapter! See you all next week!


	25. Chapter 25

"So what is the plan for today?" Shiro asked as he, Black, Blue, and Lance all followed Ed and Al to the base, just as they had done each morning since after their second night in Central.

"Same as it was yesterday, unless we get to the base and someone tells me that they've found Lotor," Ed told him, a touch of regret in his voice. "We can't really do much more than follow up leads since I can't just have me and Al scan each part of the city with my tracking array to find him. It'd be a waste of time and energy since Lotor can't be picked up by the array and neither one of us can power the array longer than eight minutes, which is far less time than what we'd need to cover half the city in one go," Ed explained, sounding rather annoyed with all of it.

"Chasing down leads is fun," Lance told him cheerfully. The look from Ed that he got in response told the Cuban that the blonde alchemist obviously thought he was insane. "What? We get to explore a new city, people's reactions to the Lions are either funny or heartwarming and we get to try new things," Lance said, a little defensively.

"Brother doesn't like going more than three days without a physical fight," Al stage-whispered to Lance, earning himself a bark of laughter from the Blue Paladin and a glare from his brother.

"Like you enjoy sitting still much more than me," Ed muttered, still glaring at his little brother.

" _I_ haven't gone and sought out criminals to fight just because I'm bored," Al snarked back. The four Voltron members looked like they were following a very interesting sparring match.

"Neither have –" Ed started saying but Al just gave him a look.

"Can you actually finish that statement without lying?" Al asked, though his tone left no doubt in the Blue and Black pairs that Ed couldn't.

"… shut up," Ed mumbled after a few moments. His cheeks pinkened slightly when Al's laughter was joined by Lance's. Though Shiro didn't laugh, he couldn't suppress his grin and neither Lion bothered to pretend they weren't amused. "I hate you all," Ed grumbled, though his pout turned into a grin when Lance threw his arm over his shoulders.

"No you don't," Lance told him cheerfully.

"I hate it when you're right," Ed sighed dramatically. His grin widened when he saw Lance's cheeks flush darker than his had been moments earlier. They rounded the corner and saw the base come into view. Blue and Black perked up at the same moment as Ed and it didn't take long for the others to figure out why when Yellow, Green, Red and their Paladins came into view. Ed raised his hand in greeting as the three Lions not with him looked over. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey!" Hunk called back while Pidge and Keith raised their own hands in greeting.

"What's up? How come Mustang isn't with you?" Ed asked once he and the others had joined up with the Red, Green, and Yellow pairs and realised that his commanding officer wasn't there.

"Apparently he has a meeting scheduled this morning that he forgot about. Since he knew this was when you guys normally arrived, he told us to wait here," Keith told him.

"How did he remember the meeting if he'd forgotten about it?" Ed asked curiously. It wasn't the first time Mustang had forgotten a meeting – on purpose or accidentally – but it was the first time Ed had heard of him actually remembering it himself.

"Captain Hawkeye left instructions with us to remind him he had one when we saw him report for duty this morning, Sir," one of the guards at the front gate answered before any of the Voltron members who travelled to the base with Mustang could.

Ed's face split into another grin that had Al wanting to smother his brother so he couldn't say anything about this. "Thank you very much for letting me know that, Sergeant," Ed said, his voice filled with a mix of gratefulness and mischief.

"You're welcome, Sir," the sergeant replied, either not noticing or ignoring Ed's tone. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes left us a message for you as well, sir," he told Ed, which got everyone's attention.

"Really? What is it?" Ed asked immediately. Everyone else looked just as eager for an answer as Ed was.

The sergeant looked a little taken aback by their interest but didn't let it stop him from answering Ed's question. "He asked that you visit his office first thing," the sergeant relayed and Ed looked both hopeful and cynical.

"I hope it's good news this time," Ed muttered to those with him. "Thank you, Sergeant," Ed said, looking back up at the guard who'd passed the message along. "Have a good day, both of you," he said, nodding to the second guard.

"You as well, Sir," they both said at the same time, pairing their well-wishes with a salute each that Ed immediately waved them out of before he led Voltron and his brother into the base.

"What do you think Brookes wants to tell us?" Al asked as they headed up the stairs.

"I'm hoping he's gonna tell us they found Lotor's dead body in a storm drain or something," Ed told him honestly.

" _That would make our lives easier,"_ Black mused as Al tried to berate Ed for saying something like that in public.

"Black agrees with me," Ed immediately said, cutting Al's lecture about public image off.

"She would," Al muttered but left the topic alone, though his displeasure was still entirely obvious. Black didn't look too impressed with the tone Al had used.

"What do you really think Brookes wants to tell you?" Shiro asked, deciding to not comment on anything Al or Black had said.

Ed shrugged a shoulder. "Honestly, I have no clue," he told him. "I had him pull together a K-9 unit to go to Elena's Bakery yesterday to scent the wall our witness said Lotor leant up against and try to track him that way. It's probably got something to do with that or another lead's come in that Brookes thinks is promising," Ed said, barely paying attention to where they were walking.

"How come you didn't ask Yellow to try and pick up Lotor's scent?" Hunk asked curiously.

Ed rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "To be honest, I was more concerned with picking up Elysia on time yesterday and I completely forgot that the Lions could track someone as well, if not better, as our K-9 units," Ed admitted.

"You're an idiot," Al sighed, yelping when Ed punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't sass me if you don't wanna get hit," Ed told him, holding up a finger warningly when Al looked like he was about to retaliate.

"That's enough," Shiro said sternly. The whispered 'space dad' from who Shiro suspected was Lance went ignored if only for the sake of his dignity. The amusement from Black was not ignored however, though Shiro didn't comment on it out loud.

Ed and Al did listen to him though it didn't take them long to start bickering about something else – namely what Ed had been thinking when the sergeant revealed Hawkeye had left a message with them for Mustang, showing her complete lack of faith in her commanding officer's ability to remember the meeting himself. That discussion had been prolonged by the four younger Paladins adding comments here and there until Ed realised they had reached the corridor they'd have to turn down to get to Brookes' office.

"I'll do what I want," Ed told Al before he knocked on the office door, preventing his younger brother from being able to say anything back. From the look on Al's face, it was very likely that this conversation would be continued later. "Morning, Miss Sheska," Ed greeted once he and the others were permitted entrance to the office. "Morning, everyone else."

"Good morning," Sheska greeted them all, giving Ed and Al a warm smile while Voltron was giving a somewhat nervous one. Though she had met them all – Lions included – Sheska still wasn't awfully comfortable around them all just yet, mainly because she hadn't spent a lot of time with them.

"We got told Brookes was looking for us by one of the front gate guards," Ed told her as the other members of Brookes' team nodded or waved to them.

Sheska nodded, as though she had expected that to be what Ed would say. "He's in his office. Let me just check he's not on the phone," Sheska said before she left her desk to do just that.

"How's everything going in here?" Ed asked as he approached Clarke's desk to peer at the papers on her desk.

The red head gave him a soft sigh. "Aside from this Lotor situation, we're still working on our regular cases. It's been pretty full on," she told him and Ed winced in sympathy. He'd had to deal with trying to hunt down a serial killer as well as Mustang's regular job and he'd had the BAU there to help him with the first half and Hawkeye there for the second. Brookes' team had him, Al, and whichever soldiers he could grab from Mustang's teams to help lighten the load since technically Voltron could only help by being extra eyes and ears. "It doesn't help that Generals Widdon and Combes have been either distracted by something else or have decided to be, well, petty towards us because Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes helped you prove General Mustang innocent," Clarke divulged.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ed asked, ignoring the others for the moment as he gave Clarke his undivided attention.

"Well, we report directly to General Widdon, as you already know," Clarke said and Ed nodded. He still wasn't sure how Widdon managed to get himself in charge of the whole of Investigations but at least he was a tiny bit better than Combes. "However, he left the office early the day he and Combes had that meeting with Fuhrer Grumman and the other generals," Clarke told him and Ed huffed in response. Mustang had told them what had happened during that meeting and to hear that Widdon had left the base early because he didn't get his way was not surprising in the least, "which made it so any of our reports and whatnot that needed to be signed off by him weren't done until late the next day. But then both he and Combes left the office for a couple of hours the next day and they were gone again yesterday for about two or three hours, from what we can figure," Clarke revealed. "Their teams either don't know, don't care, or have been ordered not to tell us where they're going. The only reason Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes hasn't reported them to Fuhrer Grumman for this behaviour is because General Widdon informed Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes rather brusquely yesterday that what they were doing was for the Fuhrer and was none of Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes' business," Clarke told him, obviously still irritated by either the way Widdon had spoken to her commanding officer, the lack of detailed answers or both.

"Ed, Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes can see you all now," Sheska said, unintentionally interrupting Ed and Clarke's conversation.

"Thanks, Miss Sheska," Ed said, flashing her a smile before he turned his attention back to the irritated Clarke. "I can see if Mustang or Hawkeye can talk to Grumman, if you want? Make sure that whatever those two morons are doing is actually for Grumman and not them trying to cover themselves," Ed offered. "They're still on probation after the bullshit they pulled during the Belmont incident so if we're lucky, whatever they're doing will get them investigated and kicked out of the military for good," Ed said hopefully.

Clarke gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for the offer, Ed, but I think Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes has plans to speak with Fuhrer Grumman himself about unrelated topic so he will likely bring up his concerns then," she told him.

Ed sighed slightly but nodded as he stepped away from her desk. "I'll make sure he is when I speak with him and if he is, I'll leave it in his hands," Ed promised her.

"Thank you, Ed," Clarke said, preparing to get back to her work and feeling better now that she was able to get her worries off her chest with someone who wasn't her team.

"All good," Ed said, giving her a smile. "I hope your day's a little easier for you," he said and she gave him a thankful smile in response before Al evidently got sick of his brother dawdling and pulled him along by his sleeve. "Hey!" Ed snapped at him, yanking his sleeve out of his little brother's grip. Clarke snorted in amusement before returning Ed's little wave he gave as he disappeared into Brookes' office, ignoring Al's lecture about paying attention rather than gossiping.

"Hey, Ed. Thanks for swinging by," Brookes greeted the older of the two alchemists.

"All good," Ed said as he flipped Al off before he paid attention to the older man. "What's up?"

Brookes sighed as he slumped slightly in his chair. "Unfortunately the dogs I sent out yesterday weren't able to pick up Lotor's scent lingering near the café. It didn't help that we didn't have a known sample for them to use to be able to lock onto the scent but I had hoped Lotor's would be so different to what they're used to that it wouldn't matter," Brookes told him, looking apologetic about it. "I did have the soldiers try and find any more witnesses in the immediate area but they also came up with nothing new," he added.

"Well, it was a good try," Ed said, also a little annoyed that the news wasn't anything better. "I was reminded this morning that the Lions are very good trackers," Ed told Brookes, who sat up with a reinvigorated interest. "Since Yellow and Green have fought against him, they'll be our best chances of picking up his scent after so long," Ed said, looking at both Lions while he spoke.

"Actually," Pidge asked, a touch nervously, "can Green and I not be sent out? I promised Sergeant Fuery yesterday that if I got the chance, I'd look over your radio systems and see what I can do with them to improve them," she explained.

"Oh, he never said," Ed commented before shrugging a shoulder. "I don't mind if you hang around here," he said before looking at Lance and Blue. "Do you two mind going with Hunk and Yellow?" he asked.

"I have no problems spending all day with my bestest buddy," Lance told him, grinning widely as he leaned against Hunk, who looked resigned and amused all at once.

" _I've got no complaints,"_ Blue assured him and Ed gave them a nod.

"Okay, so you four can go with Breda," Ed said, tapping his chin in thought. "He shouldn't be too busy today hopefully. I'll go with another pair and Al can team up with the last pair. Pidge and Green can stay here and help Fuery," Ed said decisively. "Have you got the next lot of tips sorted or do you want us to do it?" Ed asked Brookes, who shook his head as he reached for some files.

"No, we got them sorted," he told Ed, handing the files over. "Pick what areas you guys want to search and give me the rest back. I'll send some soldiers out to cover them," he instructed.

Ed gave him a nod before he flicked through the files in his hands. All in all, there were ten folders filled with new tips and Ed grabbed the two that seemed to hold the more promising tips. "Al and I will take these ones," Ed said, handing the other files back to Brookes.

The lieutenant-colonel took them with a nod. "Happy hunting," he said, giving Ed a sympathetic smile when he groaned.

"It had better be," Ed muttered, gesturing for the others to head to the door. "Hey, Lieutenant Clarke mentioned what was going on," Ed said, gaining a questioning look from Brookes. "With Widdon and Combes," he elaborated and Brookes' face pinched at the mention of their names. "Do you want me to tell Mustang and Hawkeye or do you want me to wait until you've spoken to Grumman about it?" he asked.

Brookes seemed to contemplate his options. "It probably wouldn't be a bad idea for them to be told. That way they'll have a heads up if Fuhrer Grumman wants the two investigated," Brookes admitted. "I have a meeting with Fuhrer Grumman tomorrow afternoon. I'll make sure to let you know what he has to say regarding everyone's favourite generals," Brookes promised.

Ed's lips quirked at the codename before he nodded. "No worries. Mustang's in a meeting right now – or he should be anyways – so Hawkeye is probably with him. I'll let 'em know at some stage today," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Thanks, Ed," Brookes said. "Have fun today and good luck," he said, nodding to the files in the blonde's hands.

"No problems and same to you," Ed said, giving the pile of papers on his fellow lieutenant-colonel's desk a look.

Brookes grimaced slightly before nodding his thanks and Ed took is as the end of their conversation it was and started herding everyone out of Brookes' office, something that was dragged out a little by everyone wishing Brookes a good day. Ed nodded to the team and Sheska as he led everyone else out of the outer office, giving Clarke a thumb's up when he caught her eye. The lieutenant dipped her head in response just before Ed had slipped out of the door, followed quickly by the others, leaving Brookes and his team in peace.

"What was that about, Brother?" Al asked the moment the door had shut behind them.

"While I was gossiping," Ed gave Al a pointed look, "with Lieutenant Clarke earlier, she told me that Widdon and Combes have been disappearing for hours at a time every day since that meeting a few days back," he told them. Al had the decency to look a little sheepish at accusing Ed of just chit-chatting with Clarke but he didn't comment. "When Brookes asked them about it, since it was affecting Brookes' work as he has to have Widdon sign off on some things before he can go ahead with his cases, Widdon told him that the pair of them were working for Grumman," Ed recounted. "Of course, Brookes doesn't believe that and neither do I so Brookes is gonna bring it up to Grumman during a meeting he has with him tomorrow and I am going to warn Mustang and Hawkeye because if Grumman decides to have them investigated, he'll give the case to us," Ed told them.

"You think the generals are up to something?" Keith asked as they headed down the corridor towards Mustang's office.

"I always think they're up to something," Ed told him, earning a chuckle from just about everyone. "However, they're still on probation and will be for the next month and a half or so. They'd have to be far stupider than even _I_ believe them to be to do something more illegal than jaywalking right now," Ed said. "I just don't know _why_ they'd be leaving the base for hours without permission," he admitted, looking a little annoyed that he didn't have an answer.

"Well, if they are up to something, you'll only have to wait another day, maybe two, before you can figure it out with the Fuhrer's permission," Shiro pointed out, trying to lighten Ed's mood.

It seemed to work if the way the blonde perked up was any indication. "You think I can sneak into Grumman's office before Brookes and embellish the details a little?" Ed asked.

"You wouldn't be able to get an audience with Grumman before Brookes' appointment," Al pointed out, side-stepping a passing soldier.

"I have permission to go and annoy Grumman whenever I want," Ed said, waving another soldier out of a salute without looking.

Al gave him a flat look. "Yeah, in regard to the Lotor investigation," Al reminded him as they crossed another corridor.

"You're a killjoy," Ed informed him, pouting slightly and earning himself snorts of laughter from everyone.

"You'll survive," Al said, completely unphased by the looks he was getting from his brother and passing soldiers who were only getting the tail end of the conversation.

"Rude," Ed sniffed before he smacked Al in the shoulder with one of the two files in his hand. "Here's your list, by the way. Who do you wanna take?" Ed asked, ignoring Al's grumbles as he accepted the file.

"I'll take Red and Keith, if you two are okay with that?" Al asked, looking back at them.

Red just nodded while Keith said, "we're good with going with you."

"That means Shiro and Black are with me today," Ed said, smiling at the aforementioned pair and getting his smile returned.

" _There are zero complaints from the two of us,"_ Black informed him happily.

"Good because they wouldn't have been listened to," Ed told her, a cheeky grin in place, letting out some laughter when she bumped up against him. "Alright," he said, still chuckling, "let's go get Breda and hope today's interviews go better than yesterdays." Not a single person or Lion made a noise that wasn't some kind of agreement.

* * *

Lance and Hunk were masters at keeping a relaxed smile on their face even in the worst diplomatic situations. They had been able to smile and nod understandingly when numerous alliance attempts seemed to be on shaky limbs before Allura or Shiro managed to find a way to speak with the planet's inhabitants in a way that made joining the Coalition more appealing. They were able to calm Allura down in the privacy of the Castle-Ship when she seemed close to losing her temper because a royal member of a planet was being exceedingly difficult to deal with or put their ability at saying one thing but meaning another to use when they couldn't get Allura to the privacy of the Castle in time. Though some planets' people had come close to breaking their masks, they hadn't yet and it was point of pride for both Paladins.

However, dealing with the numerous, repeated questions from people – some curious, some suspicious, some a mix in between – as they followed Blue and Yellow, Breda close behind them, about what they were doing on this street, in this alley, looking at this house and so on was slowly starting to wear down their infamous patience. In the last hour, Breda had taken it upon himself to field the questions and both Lance and Hunk couldn't have been more grateful for the man.

"Don't act so amused by us," Lance scolded Blue through their bond when he realised what her amused was actually in response to. "It's not like you weren't contemplating biting the next person who asked us what we were doing," he pointed out.

" _Touché,"_ his Lion said after a moment. From the look on Yellow's face, she had just had a similar conversation with Hunk through their bond.

They'd started their morning at Elena's Bakery, just as they had planned. Yellow had picked up on Lotor's scent almost immediately but it took Blue a few moments to do the same since she hadn't fought him in Resembool and had to try and find it amongst every other scent there was, including Ed, Hunk's and Yellow's from the previous day. The fact that Yellow and Hunk were with her as she tried to find the scent complicated matters but with some helpful descriptions from her sister, Blue managed to locate the scent that Lotor had left. Blue had been a little surprised that Lotor's scent was still strong enough for them to track but she kept her surprise to herself.

It had been obvious from the way that Lotor's scent had disappeared at the curb's edge that he had been picked up in a car – which led to the group unanimously agreeing that Lotor had someone helping him since a taxi wouldn't have dropped him somewhere and let him go without paying them and there had been no recent reports of a taxi driver being ripped off or murdered. This information had led to them pausing their search so Breda could borrow Elena's phone to call in the information to the office while the Lions told Ed and their sisters. Ed had been delighted with the news and asked them to pass along instructions to their pilots to have Breda ask anyone along the street about seeing any suspicious cars in the area two nights ago.

Unfortunately, the lead hadn't panned out – which they told Ed after twenty minutes of interviewing every possible person they could – so they ended up going back to Elena's Bakery, bought some drinks from her and started tracking Lotor's scent. Lance had been the one to point out that if Lotor had been standing on the sidewalk waiting for someone to pick him up, it meant he had to walk to the meeting place, leaving them a scent trail that would hopefully lead back to his hiding place. Hunk had agreed with him and Breda decided it was worth a shot so had agreed to the plan. Both Yellow and Blue had picked up the alien prince's scent once more and starting carefully tracing it backwards.

That had been nearly three hours ago and Lance and Hunk knew the process had been drawn out by them having to answer people's questions and the fact that Blue and Yellow couldn't rush themselves since the scent was already days old. There was the sense of urgency that the longer it took them to trace it, the more likely it was the scent would be eradicated at some point in the search and they'd lose it but couldn't let themselves jump the gun, incorrectly assume the direction Lotor had gone and lose the scent when they doubled back. Blue and Yellow had been keeping Ed and their sisters up to date on the – so far – empty search but they could feel their own apprehension and excitement echoed by Ed and their missing sisters. It seemed like this was going to be the lead that would _finally_ get them to Lotor after days of unsuccessful searches.

" _Honestly, I'm begrudgingly giving Lotor points for his dedication at making sure he wasn't picked up close to his hideout,"_ Blue grumbled as she and Yellow kept their noses pinned to the ground.

" _This is getting tedious,"_ Yellow agreed. _"We can't even hope we're close to where the search ends and just start sniffing around random places he could be hiding because with the way our luck has been working, we'd find nothing_ and _we'd lose the scent,"_ she complained. Blue nodded in complete agreement with her sister.

"I'm sure it can't be much longer until we find him," Lance said, speaking low as he tried to soothe both Lions since it was pretty easy to see that they were both irritated. "It looks like we're starting to get closer to a less populated part of Central," he pointed out.

Both Lions looked up in surprise and noticed Lance was right. There weren't as many people here, nor were there as many businesses that weren't factories or mechanical stores, places that needed a bigger floor space. The roads were quieter and one the street they were actually on, Blue could see maybe ten cars parked outside buildings. There wasn't anyone else on the street except for them and Breda but both Lions could see movement in a couple of windows, telling them that they were being watched by curious or suspicious onlookers.

"I'm gonna call the office and let them know our position," Breda told them once he spotted a phonebooth several metres away. It had been something agreed on yesterday before they'd all split up to cover their search areas. Periodic updates needed to be called into the office by everyone except Ed who – in his own words – had never bothered doing something like that before and him doing so now would only raise suspicion so that no one would question how they'd all gotten the same information without meeting up in person or being in contact with the office. "Please try not to get out of my sight. I don't want to have to explain to the chief how I lost you all when I have to ask the office to have Green act as messenger between you and me," Breda said with a grin.

Both Lance and Hunk couldn't stop their barks of laughter. "We'll do our best," Lance promised, returning Breda's grin.

The portly red-head headed for the phonebooth he had spotted while Lance and Hunk continued following their Lions down the street. They made it to the end of the street before Blue and Yellow realised the scent followed the corner, which meant they'd leave Breda's sight. "What do you think, Lance?" Hunk asked as they came to a stop.

Lance seemed conflicted. "We can't lose the scent now," he finally said. "We'll wait here so Breda can see us while you guys keep tracking the scent. If you have to turn another corner, let one of us know and that person will catch up with you to stand at the corner. I'm sure Breda will be back before you have to turn a third corner," Lance said.

The Lions didn't look awfully sure about the plan but neither one of them could think of another solution. _"Alright,"_ Blue finally agreed, rubbing her head up against Lance before she and Yellow continued on the scent's path, once Yellow had nuzzled Hunk's hand.

The boys had only been waiting for a minute at most, long enough for the Lions to get a good couple hundred feet from them and short enough for Breda to be still on the phone with whoever had answered his call when it happened. A car – one that looked like just about every other car in Central – drove out of a nearby business up the street, drawing their attention for a moment. However, it was long enough for them not to notice the other car speeding past Breda until it screeched to a stop in front of them. Three men armed with guns they weren't bothering to hide jumped out of the vehicle before it had even come to a stop and quickly surrounded the two Paladins before they could do anything more than gasp.

"Get in the car if you don't want us dropping you right now," the biggest of the three men ordered the two teenagers, gun held unwaveringly so it was pointed right at Lance's head.

Hunk was gripping Lance's arm, looking torn between pulling his friend away and grabbing for his own weapon, which every Paladin kept on them at all times. Both Blue and Yellow were too far away to help them without risking the boys getting shot and the boys knew it. These three men certainly seemed like they meant business and Lance had no desire to get killed when their Lions would be able to track them no matter where they were in the city.

"Come on, Hunk. It'll be alright," Lance said, leading Hunk towards the car, making sure their actions were open and obvious so they weren't shot by a trigger-happy kidnapper.

Lance could see Breda running for them, his own weapon out, and both Lions were coming back down the street, trying to get to their humans even as they climbed into the car, the three men following them, crowding them in the backseat with their guns still aimed on them in order to prevent either of them thinking about leaping out of the other side of the car. Just as quickly as the car had pulled up, it was gone, speeding down the street Blue and Yellow had been following Lotor's scent up. Lance could see their Lions turning to chase the car down and a thought struck him.

"Stay there," Lance told Blue, knowing she would tell Yellow what he said. "Tell Ed what happened and wait for his orders. You two can track us and I'm positive this has something to do with Lotor. There's no other reason for someone to risk Ed's or the military's fury by taking us now. You need to tell Ed and get his instructions," Lance told her, speaking rapidly so she couldn't argue and they wouldn't get too far from Breda.

" _You had better stay safe until we get there. Ed won't be able to stop us from coming after the both of you for very long,"_ Blue told him as Lance watched both her and Yellow come to an immediate stop on the street. He could just see Breda turn the corner.

"We will," Lance swore. He glanced at Hunk, noting the nervous look on his face and the determined glint in his best friend's eyes and knew Yellow had been passing along what Lance had said to Blue. However, despite knowing his best friend was with him and Ed would soon be working on getting them back, Lance couldn't help but feel as though he and Hunk had just been taken to be used as bait to lure the rest of the team into a trap.

* * *

Ed was laughing at something Shiro had said when two frantic voices echoed in his mind, causing him to feel a sudden but mild headache. "What was that?" Ed asked, causing Shiro to stop flat but Black looked a moment from panicking. Ed could feel Blue and Yellow's impatience and irritation that he hadn't gotten what they said right away. He could sense their urgency but having two Lions speaking in his mind at once, especially ones so frantic, made it impossible for him to understand either of them, even if their franticness already had him on edge. "One at a time," Ed ordered, feeling both of them ready to speak at the same time again.

" _Lance and Hunk were just kidnapped!"_ Blue snapped, unable to hold her annoyance at having to repeat herself back. Ed could feel her worry and helplessness so he didn't hold it against her.

"What the hell do you mean they were just kidnapped?! _Who_ kidnapped them?!" Ed asked, voice a hiss. He felt something tugging at his arm and he stumbled before he could get his feet under him as Shiro dragged him into an alleyway, likely so there was less chance of someone overhearing them.

" _We don't know! But Lance thinks they're working for Lotor. He doesn't think anyone else would've tried kidnapping them now,"_ Blue told him.

"Okay," Ed said, fighting to keep himself calm. He off-handedly wondered if this was anything similar to how Al felt when he received news that Ed had been kidnapped. "What else did Lance say? Did he give you anything that could help us find them? Did you notice anything about the car? Its tags, maybe?" Ed asked.

" _No, nothing,"_ Blue told him mournfully. _"Yellow and I were too far away to be any help stopping them from being taken and Breda was as well. They had guns pointed at both of them! The boys didn't have a choice but to get in that car,"_ Blue said. _"Yellow and I were going to trail the car but Lance told us to tell you what happened and wait for your instructions,"_ she said.

Ed leaned against the alleyway wall, rubbing his temples as he tried to figure out what to do. Shiro was likely being told everything by Black but Ed wasn't paying attention to them right now. "Where are you?" Ed asked even as he looked out of the alleyway, trying to remember where in Central he, Black and Shiro currently were.

" _I don't know the exact address but there are signs on this corner,"_ Blue told him. _"We're standing on the corner of Clayton and Hedge Roads,"_ she said.

Pulling up his mental map of Central, Ed was a little surprised when he realised how far from Elena's Bakery the five of them were. "Alright, I need you two to listen to me carefully because the two of you are going to be the difference between us walking into a trap blind and us walking into a trap and ready for it," Ed told Blue, bringing Yellow into the conversation. "I need you to keep your heads. You're both connected to Lance and Hunk so you know when they're hurt or upset and you know they're as okay as they can be at the moment, right?" Ed asked and felt both Lions reluctantly agree with him. He knew their desire to get their humans back to safety was just about overtaking every other sense but he just hoped their trust in him would let them listen to him and follow his instructions.

He felt Blue and Yellow physically calm themselves down, which took a few seconds before determination filled them. _"What do you want us to do?"_

* * *

Ed, Shiro and Black burst into the outer office to find it in organised chaos. Al, Keith and Red were already there but Breda wasn't, the car sent out to get him having to go almost entirely across Central to do so. "What have we got organised?" Ed asked, not bothering with niceties as he strode into the room.

"I pulled the plans of the building Blue and Yellow identified," Brookes told him, waving him over to where he and Mustang were standing at the desks.

After getting Blue and Yellow to calm down enough to listen to him, Ed had them lead Breda back to the phonebooth and call the office – something that had taken several 'yes or no' questions from Breda before he understood what the Lions wanted him to do. With Breda on the phone and using Green and Pidge as a relay system for the rest of the team, while using Red and Keith to keep Al in the loop, Ed had told them the plan. While Shiro, Ed and Black would head for the office – same for Al, Red and Keith – Blue and Yellow would start tracking their humans. The two Lions hadn't waited to hear the rest of Ed's instructions to take off in the direction they could feel their humans were in. Ed wasn't surprised to hear that from Green as he and the Black pair headed for the office.

Shaking his head, Ed had continued telling the Lions that Blue and Yellow were to take it slow once they were close to where they sensed Lance and Hunk were being held. Their job then was to call out any landmarks for Ed, who would then identify and relay them to Green, who would have Pidge repeat it to the team. They would then find the plans for the building the two Lions identified was the one holding the missing Paladins and the team would start planning their attack. Blue and Yellow informed Ed that they wouldn't be waiting outside of the building for them to turn up. They would be going into the building to try and rescue their Paladins.

Shiro had almost ordered Black to forbid them to do so but Ed had stopped him. It had caused a large argument between the two – the only major one they'd been in during the six months they'd been friends – but Ed had won it. He'd pointed out that with Blue and Yellow inside, they'd be able to use their superior senses to get the best data possible. Plus, Ed had pointed out when that argument hadn't been enough, no one knew about the Lions telepathic abilities except people they could trust completely. It was extremely likely that someone working for Lotor would talk about their plans in front of Yellow and Blue and that would give them an extra edge in the upcoming mission. Shiro hadn't been happy but he had finally gotten onboard with Ed's decision to allow Blue and Yellow to do as they wanted when Black pointed out that they couldn't actually _stop_ her two sisters from rushing in to help their humans.

"They're being held in an old warehouse that was used by multiple small companies to hold their stock," Brookes told him as Ed joined them. Shiro stood right beside Ed, almost pressing completely against the blonde in order to see the plans. "It's three levels, all open plan with only a small room on each level. There are staircases leading up from the ground floor to the third level as well as a large elevator big enough for a forklift to fit through. There's a receiving bay around the back of it that has large roller doors big enough to have two trucks backed up to them at the same time," Brookes continued explaining the layout to them.

"Have you heard anything from Blue or Yellow that can help us pinpoint where they're holding Lance and Hunk?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded.

"Just as we were coming into the base, Yellow contacted me," Ed told them, immediately seeing everyone perk up. "They made it to where they're holding Lance and Hunk – which was the second floor – before they were surrounded and led up to the third floor. They're being held in the office, where they have five people constantly watching them. From what they last saw of them, Lance and Hunk are being held here," Ed pointed to the corner at the back of the warehouse, in the right corner "and there were another four people watching them. Both Lance and Hunk still have their bayards on them. Obviously no one has searched them yet because they would've been confiscated since no one in Amestris would've known what they were," Ed told them, rolling his eyes at the kidnappers' stupidity.

"Are they alright?" Keith and Pidge asked at the same time and Ed nodded.

Just as they went to move on, the doors opened and Breda came in, a little flushed and panting slightly. "Sorry, I got here as fast as I could," he told them. Both Ed and Mustang nodded at him before they returned to the building's plans.

"So we know there are at nine people in that warehouse, ten if you count Lotor," Ed continued.

"Have they sighted or scented Lotor?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded.

"They told me his scent was all over that warehouse and it was strong. He's been there for at least three days and recently," he told them.

"Well at least we won't have to deal with Lotor after this," Shiro sighed, obviously frustrated that he wasn't able to be out there right now, fighting to get back some of his team back and out of danger.

"Now that everyone's here, we're gonna go over our plan," Mustang told them, getting everyone's attention. "Fullmetal, Alphonse, myself, and the remaining members of Voltron will be entering the building itself. Falman, Fuery, Havoc, and Breda will be guarding the back exits, which are the roller doors and a fire exit." Mustang looked up to see the four nods from his male subordinates. "Captain Hawkeye will be finding herself a sniper hold and providing us coverage for the first floor, which I'm sure is where we will find ourselves facing resistance. If she can't find one, she'll join those of us who will be entering the front of the building," Mustang said. Hawkeye didn't look happy she might not be directly on his six but nodded at her orders.

"Now," Mustang continued before anyone could say anything, "I know the six of you will want to get Lance, Hunk and their Lions out of danger immediately but I want you focusing on Lotor. With his weaponry, you face the best chance against him," Mustang told Voltron. "Fullmetal will be the one to locate and rescue your missing members while Alphonse will stay and assist me and Hawkeye, if she is with us," Mustang told them. Now it was Alphonse who didn't look too happy with Mustang's orders.

"What if Lotor isn't there?" Keith asked.

"If he's not there, you'll escort Fullmetal on his mission. It's likely that Lotor will be waiting for you to find your missing Paladins and Lions, if he's not part of our welcome party," Mustang told him. The six Paladins and Lions looked happier with that order than their original one.

"Do you want me to contact Fuhrer Grumman for search and arrest warrants, sir?" Hawkeye asked and Mustang shook his head.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes discovered the building was abandoned over six months ago when its owner passed away and none of their family members expressed an interest in taking it on," he told them. "According to our laws, we don't need warrants to conduct searches on abandoned properties," he said. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and his team will be joining us once they've told Fuhrer Grumman about what has happened – which he will do once we move out – but they will be acting as back-up and in their Investigative roles," he informed them, Brookes nodding next to him.

"Please remember that none of you have jurisdiction to arrest anyone, including Lotor," Brookes said, looking a touch apologetic that he was worrying about technicalities at this time. "If you try to arrest someone or act as though you have the power to arrest someone or grant someone immunity from being charged if they give you information, any further arrests or deals could be voided because of it," he explained.

"We're aware," Shiro told him, a touch tersely. "We'll be too busy dealing with Lotor anyway, I believe, to make any arrests," he added and Brookes nodded, relieved that they would remember that and not cost the rest of them their arrests since Brookes believed that any Amestrian helping Lotor voluntarily would be a person he wanted on the streets to start with.

"Is there anything else we need to cover?" Ed asked, impatient to get his friends back from the clutches of the psychopathic alien prince. None of the Voltron crew with them looked any more patient than he was feeling.

"Further orders will be given once we're at the scene," Mustang told them and the pre-mission tension flooded the room in anticipation of his next words. "Let's go get our friends back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 25 for you all! As you may have noticed, there will be a total of 37 chapters to this story so we're only 12 chapters away from the end! Thank you to those of you who left me a review last week. I'd love to hear from you again this week. See you all next week!


	26. Chapter 26

An hour later, everyone bar Brookes and his team were situated in front of the building that Ed had just confirmed was the one Blue and Yellow had told him they'd found Lance and Hunk in. He'd gotten his own confirmation only moments ago when he'd used his tracking array, mainly to make sure the missing Paladins and Lions hadn't been moved without the Lions telling him for some reason and to get a more accurate count on how many people they would be facing. Judging from the astonished look on Ed's face when he was using his array, the others knew there'd be more than the ten people they were already expecting.

Ed shut his array off, barely feeling the drain since he'd only run it for 20 seconds before he turned to the others. "I counted the five people with Blue and Yellow, the four still on Lance and Hunk but there are an additional thirteen people in there," Ed told them, getting astonished looks all around. "One of them is an alchemist," he said, looking directly at Al and Mustang, who nodded.

"How did the Lions miss thirteen people?" Havoc asked, sounding astonished.

"The only explanation is that they weren't there an hour and a half ago," Shiro said, shaking his head when Pidge and Keith looked ready to snap at Havoc for his words. "With the sounds of the people guarding them and their focus on the four people with Lance and Hunk, it's completely possible they missed the sounds of people on the first floor," he explained.

"Alright, thirteen people more is a significant increase," Mustang said unnecessarily as he thought it over. "Captain," Mustang said, speaking directly to Hawkeye now, "is there somewhere you can act as a sniper?" he asked.

Hawkeye's keen eyes checked out their immediate surroundings, taking in the glass windows of the warehouse, their height and the height of the warehouse's first floor itself and using those to help decide her answer. "No, sir. There's nowhere that would give me a good sight into that warehouse," she told him after a few moments.

Mustang didn't seem surprised by her response. "Then you're with us," Mustang said, looking back at Breda. "You're going with Falman and Fuery but Havoc, you're with us," Mustang said, changing orders based on his new information. "That also means that I need two teams of Voltron to stay and assist us if Lotor isn't there rather than accompany Fullmetal," Mustang informed them.

Shiro looked torn but nodded. "Pidge, Green, you'll be going with Ed if Lotor isn't there," Shiro told them. "Your bayard will keep you versatile and hopefully out of striking reach," he explained before he could get any arguments. Pidge and Green merely nodded in agreement with their orders.

"Now," Mustang said, getting their attention once more, "my orders from Resembool regarding Lotor stand. Shoot to kill if you get the chance but back off if you don't. Do not put yourself in unnecessary danger if you don't have to," he told them. "For everyone else in there, taking them alive would be preferable however fatalities are acceptable," he told them. He gave them a few moments to let those orders sink in before he spoke again. "Is everybody ready?" Mustang asked, pulling his gloves tightly so they sat snug on his hands.

Hawkeye placed her sniper rifle, still broken down in its case, back into the car, switching it out for her standard rifle. The four older male members of Mustang's team pulled their weapons out of their holsters and checked their safeties. Ed switched out his white gloves for his red, just in case he ended up in a situation where he absolutely had to use flame alchemy while Al cracked his knuckles and loosened his shoulders, readying himself for the upcoming fight. Voltron merely nodded, Pidge and Keith pulling out their bayards while Shiro removed his glove and black jacket to prevent them being burned when he activated his arm.

"Ready," Ed spoke for all of them and Mustang gave a nod.

"Falman, Breda, Fuery, move out," Mustang ordered and the three men moved quickly, disappearing down both sides of the warehouse. "Let's go," Mustang ordered.

Moving as one, the eleven of them strode towards the warehouse three of their teammates had disappeared behind. There were no niceties offered once they were at the front doors. Ed clapped and used Scar's technique to open the doors, mainly so they weren't struggling with them but also with hopes that the shards would take out a few of their enemies, or at least hurt them enough to make them easier to take out. They moved in the moment Ed nodded and found themselves facing a smug looking Lotor standing next to an unknown woman who Ed knew was their enemy alchemist while they were backed up by ten soldiers, all of whom had their weapons out. But the most surprising thing for Ed was that he recognised some of them.

"That's Widdon's team," Ed said, gesturing to the five standing to his left, "and I am almost positive I recognise the others as Combes' team," he told them, pointing to the soldiers he meant. That could only mean…

Two figures strode in from behind the soldiers, taking up positions next to the female alchemist standing next to Lotor and looking exceptionally victorious. "You may be surprised to see –" Widdon's speech was cut off by the victorious whoop Ed gave.

"I knew you fuckers were up to something shady when Brookes and Clarke told me you idiots were disappearing from the base without telling anyone for hours each day!" Ed said, looking and sounding extremely giddy about being proven right. Only years of perfecting their masks stopped Mustang and Hawkeye from showing their amusement as obviously as Al, Havoc and the six members of Voltron were. "I gotta admit; I didn't think you were dumb enough to join Lotor and kidnap four diplomatic guests under the military's protection but I have honestly _never_ been gladder in my life to have been proven wrong!" Ed exclaimed gleefully, all but bouncing on the balls of his feet in his joy.

"Are you done?" Combes snarled, his hand settling on his weapon.

"No," Ed told him happily. "Finally having an excuse to kick your arses so far into the ground that you'll be tasting nothing but concrete and dirt for the rest of your miserable lives has put this day firmly in my top ten favourite days this year," Ed said delightedly. "And because I'm so happy, I'm willing to offer a deal to your teams," Ed said, turning serious. "If any of you were ordered, blackmailed, or in any other way threatened to be here and you don't want to be involved in what will surely turn into fight, follow Lieutenant Havoc outside and wait for Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and his team. Once you've made statements and agreed to be witnesses against the remaining idiots, you can go," Ed told the ten soldiers standing behind the four others in the room.

All of them looked nervously between Ed, Widdon, Combes and Mustang. "I will back Fullmetal's deal. If you leave now with Lieutenant Havoc, give your statement to Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and agree to be witnesses when this goes to trial, you will not only not be charged as an accessory here but I will ask that Fuhrer Grumman consider not discharging you from the military, so long as you have done nothing more than follow bad orders," Mustang promised them.

Havoc moved backwards a couple of steps towards the doors and his movement seemed to be what pulled the stunned soldiers out of their disbelief. Ed's grin returned when all ten soldiers beelined for Havoc, skirting widely around Widdon and Combes before rushing for the door. The two soon-to-be-ex generals looked honestly surprised by their teams abandoning them. Lotor looked disgusted by their decision but the lone woman seemed oddly fixated on Ed, Mustang and Al, which concerned Ed a little bit.

"Do you two recognise her?" Ed asked, gesturing to the woman while Havoc herded the other soldiers out of the building. He didn't think he recognised the angry brunette but he'd pissed off so many people in the last five years that they'd started running together after a while.

Al and Mustang both looked at the woman but shook their heads. "What do you think we supposedly did to make her so mad?" Al asked, whispering to Ed but his older brother shrugged his shoulders.

"Who the fuck knows? Widdon and Combes probably lied to her," Ed told him as Mustang took half a step forward.

"Right now, none of you, aside from Lotor, have done anything illegal aside from kidnapping diplomatic guests and aiding a fugitive," Mustang told them. "If you surrender without a fight now, those of you who are Amestrians will likely have the chance to see freedom again rather than die in prison," he told them.

"Well, _one_ of them will. The other two will probably be dead from old age and bad decisions in, like, five years," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder and smirking when Widdon and Combes growled at him.

"I won't surrender to the likes of you, Flame Alchemist," the unknown woman spat viciously at Mustang, her eyes filled with hate. "You destroyed my dream of becoming a State Alchemist!" she screeched.

"Fucking hell, Mustang, how many State Alchemist hopefuls have you pissed off?" Ed asked as he watched the woman warily. She was a complete unknown and so was her alchemy, something that made her very dangerous in Ed's eyes.

"I don't even know her!" Mustang said defensively, something that made the woman angrier.

"I'm sure you'll remember after _this_!" she snarled, raising an arm above her and using her other one to touch a cuff on her wrist. Immediately, her alchemy became apparent as a buzz of electricity hummed audibly in the air a second before a lightening strike struck where Mustang would've been standing if it wasn't for Al pulling him out of the way. Her strike signaled all end to negotiations and prompted the three still with her into action.

"She's all yours, Al, Mustang," Ed said as he rolled out of the way. Two metal limbs and a lightening user didn't mix well after all. "Good luck and don't die. I'll be extremely pissed off," Ed warned them as Voltron engaged Lotor, drawing his fire from the four alchemists and three gun-wielders.

"Same goes for you," Al told him as he threw himself into a forward roll, dodging another strike from the female alchemist. A snap from Ed's right told him Mustang was still in the game and not letting Al deal with her on his own.

The only things stopping him from making it to the steps in one go were the two pissed-off generals, now holding their weapons on him. "Finally, we can –" Combes starting saying but Ed crouched as he ran, scraping his fingers across the ground under his feet and sending twin bursts of alchemic energy at the generals before Combes could finish whatever he'd been saying.

"Threaten me later. I got shit to do," Ed said to the two generals, now tightly bound in cement with only the top half of their faces showing. Both of them let out muffled noises that Ed was sure were something unflattering about himself but the blonde flapped a hand at them as he jogged passed them. "I told you to threaten me later," he said before he headed straight for the stairs, ready to get Lance, Hunk and their Lions free from their kidnappers so they could take their own revenge against the masterminds behind this whole thing.

* * *

Al barely watched his brother deal with the two disgraced generals as he headed for the stairs since he was too busy trying not to be hit by the lightening the enemy alchemist was transmuting into existence with a vengeance. "Are you sure you don't know her, General?" Al asked as he clapped and sent a stone hand to try and grab the woman but she merely hit it with a lightning strike, shattering it into pieces.

"Never seen her before," Mustang grunted as he was forced to dodge a particularly vicious strike by rolling to the side.

"She seems really mad at you," Al couldn't help but say. Hawkeye had her rifle raised, ready to take a shot if one was presented to her but with Al and Mustang moving all over the place, not to mention her target, Hawkeye was finding it difficult to get an opening.

"Are you sure you and Ed didn't switch personalities while I wasn't looking?" Mustang asked as he send a fireball towards the alchemist who met it with a lightening attack of equal power, cancelling it out in a rather beautiful way, if Al was honest.

"Sass runs in the Elric family, sir," Al reminded him, dropping to the deck to miss a lightning strike, clapping as he did so to send small stone projectiles that were all successfully dodged, to Al's annoyance.

There were energy shots being blasted across the room by Lotor, who was finding his hands full with three extremely pissed off Paladins and their Lions but Al didn't get the chance to check how they were fairing as he and Mustang were forced to separate even further by a series of lightning strikes. With how much energy the woman was using, Al thought for sure she would be showing signs of exhaustion but she only looked angrier about the fact that neither of them were dead yet. She sent two more lightning strikes that missed or – in Al's case – were deflected off a really hastily made concrete shield.

"I won't let you cost me my next chance to enter the State Alchemists branch, Mustang!" the alchemist snarled.

"Lady, I don't even know you! I never cost you your first chance!" Mustang told her as he sent an attack towards her, aiming to cause a small explosion on her left to try and drive her into Hawkeye's crosshairs but his comment seemed to have made it so she didn't even notice the minor explosion right next to her.

"You're in charge of the State Alchemists branch!" she snarled, sending a furiously sparking lightning ball that Mustang quickly dispersed with a fireball of matching power. "How many lightning users trying to become State Alchemists could you have coming across your desk?!" she spat.

"Look, I don't know what you've been told," Mustang said as he dodged a lightning strike and sent another flame attack at her, "about my job but I can assure you that I am _not_ in charge of the State Alchemy exams or the decision on who to admit to the branch," he said, deflecting one her attacks with one of his own while Al tried to grab her with a stone hand once more but she dodged them both and destroyed the hand. "I'm in charge of alchemists already working as State Alchemists. I'm not a State Alchemist exam officiator so I have no say in who gets accepted by the military," Mustang informed her, trying to make her understand even as he continued exchanging alchemic blows with her.

"That's not true! Generals Widdon and Combes said it was your fault!" she screeched at him, using that fury to launch her biggest electrical attack yet, causing all the lights on in the warehouse to flicker ominously, before she hit them with as many as ten lightning strikes at the same time.

By some miracle, neither Al nor Mustang were hit by any of the lightning strikes though they both felt their hair stand on end from how close they were. A single gunshot sounded from their left, quickly followed by a shriek of pain from the enemy alchemist. Al and Mustang panted slightly as they watched the brunette woman grasp the arm that had her array-etched cuff on it and clutch it close to her chest. Red blood seeped out between her fingers, running gruesomely down her uninjured hand and arm as she fell to her knees. Hawkeye lowered her rifle from where she'd had it resting against her shoulder to soften the kickback from her weapon discharging while Mustang and Al approached the downed alchemist.

"Stay away from me!" she sobbed as they approached, cradling her injured arm closer as the shattered ruins of her cuff shifted next to her.

"Will you allow us to have our field medic look at your arm and call you an ambulance to take you to the hospital?" Mustang asked, crouching near her but out of her reach.

She stared at him for a few moments, the fight between Lotor and Voltron still going on next to them but ignored by the three alchemists. Her tear-filled brown eyes locked onto Mustang's and the Flame Alchemist saw the moment realisation sunk into her. "You really don't have anything to do with who's accepted or denied to the State Alchemy branch, do you?" she asked softly, tears cascading down her face. She let out a broken sob when Mustang shook his head. "I'd like to go to the hospital please," she said softly, her tears mixing with her blood as she cried over her injured wrist.

"Captain Hawkeye," Mustang called, nodding to Al to keep an eye on the woman. Hawkeye approached him, eyeing the downed alchemist warily. "Please relieve Lieutenant Havoc of his watch-duty and ask him to grab his medical kit so he can attend to this woman. If Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes is outside, you may leave the witnesses in his care and report back to me," Mustang ordered her.

"Yes, General," Hawkeye said, slipping her rifle down next to her side before she strode out of the room at a quick walk.

Alphonse was whispering to the woman, trying to coax her into letting him help with stemming the bleeding but the woman was either going into shock or so deep in her thoughts that she didn't react to him. It didn't take long for Hawkeye and Havoc to walk back into the warehouse, telling Mustang that Brookes and his team were there, and for Havoc to introduce himself to the woman and ask her questions regarding her injury. Mustang was a little relieved to see her responding to Havoc, telling him she hadn't been slipping into shock while Al was trying to talk to her. The battle beside them still raged on and Mustang spared them a glance. As much as he wanted to help Voltron with Lotor, his flame alchemy was more likely to hit one of his allies than Lotor with the way they were all moving around.

Sighing as he realised he couldn't help, Mustang glanced around the rest of the room and he didn't bother stopping the smile that stretched across his face as he took in the way his youngest subordinate had left the two biggest thorns in their side since the homunculi. Widdon and Combes looked absolutely furious from their cement bonds – or, at least, Mustang thought they did. He could only see the top half of their faces, after all.

"Nothing to say?" Mustang couldn't help but ask them smugly as Havoc dealt with their subdued enemy. The simultaneous eyeroll he got from Al and Hawkeye was well worth the fury he saw blazing in Widdon's and Combes' eyes.

* * *

Ed didn't bother staying silent as he made his way up the stairs. He could hear the sounds of the battles going on below him – the small explosions and sounds of energy shots hitting something solid echoed up the staircase. The elation he felt at being able to deal with Widdon and Combes in his way was carefully hidden as he made his way up the stairs to deal with the idiots holding his friends hostage.

"Do you want me to get Lance and Hunk out of trouble first or you two?" he asked the Lions silently.

" _No, get our humans out first. They can help you with the men guarding us,"_ Blue told him immediately. Yellow echoed her sister's words and Ed nodded.

"Alright. This shouldn't take me long," Ed told them as he made it to the top of the stairs.

Time and time again, Ed had been told how freaky he looked when his eyes glowed blue from using his tacking array to people who hadn't seen him do so before. Not for the first time, Ed decided to use that knowledge to his advantage so he clapped his hands, knowing the familiar ringing clap that produced would put the humans on guard, before he held his left hand out and allowed the energy to flow. This way he could see exactly where everyone was – an excellent advantage for him since he really wanted to try and take them all out in one move – and he could unnerve them, hopefully making it easier to take them all down in one go.

Ed rounded the corner and was immediately disappointed to find that two of the kidnappers were hiding behind the support pillars. The problem with that was that Ed didn't see the room as he normally would while using this array so he had no clue how wide those support pillars were which meant he couldn't grab the two men as he didn't know where to send his attack. The good news was that the two who weren't hiding almost stumbled backwards at the sight of his eyes. Ed grinned and dropped the array before he slammed his hand into the ground and created two cement hands that grabbed the men at the same time, making sure the arms holding their guns were pinned completely so the weapons were useless.

"You two okay?" Ed asked as he kept his eyes on the two pillars he knew the last half of the kidnappers on this floor were hiding behind.

"We're good. A little hungry, really pissed off and ready to kick Lotor's purple arse but we're good," Lance told him.

"They tied the ropes too tightly on me. My wrists hurt," Hunk complained.

"I'll get you out in a minute. Just gotta –" Ed cut himself off as he dived to the side to avoid the bullets that were fired at him. The panicked call of his name from the bound Paladins was heartwarming but Ed ignored them until he'd gotten himself behind a pillar. "I'm good!" he told them as he thought about materialising his automail sword before deciding against it. They had guns and he'd have to get up close to them to use his blade and he'd have to be careful if he tried using more arrays. At the moment, the cons outweighed the pros so he left his automail as it was.

Using the trick he'd used against Mustang during their alchemic spar on the Castle-Ship, Ed splayed his flesh hand on the floor next to him to try and detect the thugs' movements. He could feel the vibrations from one person moving towards him but the other seemed to be moving away. It took him a moment before realisation sunk in and Ed sighed just as a voice called out. "Give up, Fullmetal Alchemist, or your friends here will get a bullet through their skulls."

Rolling his eyes at the predictable threat, Ed allowed himself to try and pinpoint the second thug – which he did easily – before he picked himself up and walked out from the support pole that had acted as his shield. Keeping his arms up so they could see them, Ed levelled the man holding a gun to Hunk's head with the most unimpressed look he could muster. "What now, genius?" Ed asked, pausing where he was. He knew that the second enemy was behind the support pillar to the right of him, one pole further along than the one he'd just been using as a shield.

"Now you come here so I can deal with you," the man snarled.

Ed tilted his head as though he was considering the man's demand before he nodded and walked forward. He'd only taken a few steps when the man nodded to his unseen partner, obviously a signal for the man to attack. Both Lance's and Hunk's eyes widened in warning and fear for their friend but Ed gave them a small smile just as the man behind the pillar stepped out from behind it. Ed didn't hesitate as he grabbed the wrist the man held the gun in and forced it to point to the ground, causing him to fire a bullet into the ground. At the same moment, Ed rabbit-punched him with his automail fist, knocking him out cold and letting his body drop to the floor. He kicked the gun out his lax grip, sending it scattering away from them all along the concrete floor.

Ed looked up at the sole remaining kidnapper, who now looked completely terrified. "Now what?" Ed asked once more, this time crossing his arms against his chest as he looked at the man, one brow raised questioningly.

It took him a moment but the man eventually dropped his weapon, sending it clattering to the ground before he raised his arms just how Ed had raised his a few seconds earlier. Nodding at the wisdom the man had shown, Ed placed a hand on the ground and quickly secured both the unconscious man and the last kidnapper before he approached the two bound Paladins.

"Are you okay, Ed?" Lance asked before Ed could ask them the same question.

"Didn't even get a scratch," Ed told them as he touched the ropes binding the pair and using alchemy to slice through them. "Are you guys okay? How are your wrists, Hunk?" Ed asked, eyeing his friend's wrists worriedly.

"I'm fine, dude," Hunk told him, already rubbing circulation back into his reddened wrists.

Before Ed could do anything more, both teenagers wrapped him in a hug that had him yelping from surprise. "We're glad you're okay! And dude, you are seriously a badass! How cool was that?!" Lance exclaimed as he let go of the blonde to look incredulously at the four bound men who had been holding them at gunpoint only a minute earlier.

"You're easily impressed," Ed laughed. "Al and Mustang are currently fighting an alchemist who can use lightning," he told them before he pulled them towards the stairs.

"Are you serious?" Hunk asked, his voice worried. "But, wait, who's dealing with Lotor?" he asked.

"The rest of your team," Ed said as he led them through the pillars. "How'd you know Lotor was here?" he asked curiously. The Lions hadn't mentioned anything about seeing him while they were being held.

"He came to gloat," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "He was all like 'oh I have you captured now. Not so brave when you're outside your Lions. Soon I will have all of you at my mercy. Blah blah blah,'" he told him, voice pitching into what Ed thought was supposed to be an imitation of the alien prince.

"Then Lance told him he was an idiot and that our team and you guys would be here soon to kick their arses," Hunk told him cheerfully and Ed was a little relieved that the kidnapping hadn't been traumatic enough to affect either of their cheery personalities. "He laughed at us and said that you guys would be walking right into a trap that you couldn't possibly survive because he had help from the military," he revealed. "We then laughed at him and told him that you guys would be expecting it to be a trap and that you'd still kick their arses. He just gave us this stupid smirk and said, 'we'll see' before he left the room," he said, wrapping up the story.

"We didn't see anyone from the military though," Lance told Ed as they reached the stairs.

The grin Ed had been suppressing ever since he'd gotten up the stairs to the second floor rapidly formed on his lips as they started walking up the second set of stairs to the final floor. "We did," Ed told them, the happiness in voice causing the two with him to grin, even if they didn't know why exactly Ed was so happy about that. "Widdon and Combes decided to join Lotor in what was very likely an effort to get rid of me and Mustang permanently," Ed revealed, earning two bursts of laughter from the teenagers with him.

"Seriously?!" Lance exclaimed, voice filled with disbelief and complete amusement.

"Seriously," Ed confirmed. He didn't really care that their laughter had given away their approach to the five people holding the Lions hostage. His fight downstairs really should've warned them already and it wasn't like this mission depended on stealth. "I dealt with them and headed up to find you guys," Ed told them before they could ask.

"Aw man, I wish I coulda been down there to see that," Lance said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Ed grinned. "It wasn't that exciting, if I'm being honest," Ed told them as they got to the top of the stairs. The office the Lions were being held in was on the street side of the warehouse so they turned right. The five armed men immediately pointed their guns at them. "I took them down with one transmutation," he said, acting like he hadn't noticed the guns.

"I bet they were humiliated," Lance said, his grin still in place as his put his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out his bayard, his actions hidden by Ed.

"I wouldn't know. I gagged them with the same array," Ed told them, earning some more laughter from the pair with him. He grinned before he addressed the five men who were looking a little unsure about how to proceed in the face of three people who seemed unphased by their weapons. "I'll ask only once for you to lower your weapons and surrender. Your friends guarding these two have obviously been dealt with and your back up on the first floor are currently occupied. That, by the way, was the one-time request," Ed told them.

The five men looked at him and Ed sighed when he saw them make the decision to try their luck against him despite his warnings. Hunk noticed it as well and he pulled out his bayard before activating it at the same time Lance transformed his. Ed formed his automail blade, hoping the show of force would make the men think but, naturally, it didn't. Ed ducked when the bullets started flying, pulling his blade back into his automail so he could touch the floor and grab the first man who tried to move to cover before he could

"No one really listens to you, do they?" Lance asked as he moved to shelter himself behind a pillar.

Ed constructed a wall for him and Hunk to use as shelter as he nodded. "It's mainly just criminals. Thankfully, everyone else seems to be smarter," Ed said as he sent blue alchemic energy streaming towards the four remaining shooters. He watched in amusement as they tracked the energy before glancing at each other in confusion when it didn't seem to do anything. The result of his transmutation quickly revealed itself as the office door behind them blew open, allowing Blue and Yellow to leave the small room, lips lifted into fierce snarls. "I'm gonna be generous and offer you the chance to surrender once more before you get hurt. Neither one of those Lions appreciated being locked in there or separated from their humans, let me tell you," Ed said. This time, the criminals heeded his warning and dropped their weapons. "Good choice," Ed said approvingly before he sent alchemic energy racing once more towards them but this time, it pulled the concrete around them up to create cuffs, pulling them to kneel on the floor and holding them in place.

With the last remaining threats on this floor dealt with, Blue and Yellow bounded over to their humans and proceeded to try and smother them with affection. _"I'm so happy you're alright!"_ Both Lions echoed in Ed's mind and he grinned as he felt their elation at seeing Lance and Hunk in front of them and out of the ropes they were bound by.

"I'm happy you're okay as well," Lance said while Hunk nearly repeated what he said verbatim to Yellow. "You are okay, right?" he asked, pushing at her slightly until she backed off and let him look her over.

" _Yes, I'm fine,"_ she promised him before she turned her sights on Ed. _"Thank you for coming to save us,"_ she purred at him, nearly knocking him on his arse as she rubbed up against him. He was then knocked on his arse by Yellow joining her sister.

"You don't have to thank me," Ed told her, scratching them both behind the ears. "However, as nice as this is, we should get back downstairs because I haven't heard your sisters tell me that Lotor has been dealt with yet and he kinda needs to be," Ed told them. He could feel them consider whether he had a point or not and barely managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

" _You're right. We can smother you later,"_ Yellow said decisively.

That comment made Ed roll his eyes as he picked himself up and helped the Blue and Yellow Paladins onto their own feet. "Sounds like a plan," he said as Lance and Hunk secured their bayards once more. "Let's go join your sisters," he instructed before he led them back towards the stairs.

" _We saw what happened with those generals,"_ Blue said as they jogged down the stairs and started crossing the room to the other staircase. The four men who'd held Lance and Hunk hostage were still held securely in place by the binds Ed had created.

Ed's grin returned as he replayed the memory over in his mind. "My only regret is that I didn't get to punch them," Ed sighed as he followed the two Lions down the steps. Lance and Hunk were following them and Ed knew without turning around that they were grinning at the exchange.

" _Maybe you'll get your chance later. Good things come to those who wait and all that,"_ Yellow told him hopefully.

"I hope you're right," Ed said, a touch of wistfulness to his voice as they finally got to the bottom of the stairs. He made them pause as he listened carefully. "It doesn't sound like Mustang or the female alchemist are attacking each other anymore and I can't hear Al clapping. Seems like your team could use your help though," Ed told them.

Lance took in his surroundings before he let them move. "Can you use your array to tell me exactly where Lotor is?" he asked Ed.

"I can't see Lotor using my array, remember?" Ed reminded him.

"Yeah but you can see where the others are attacking. That should be able to tell you where Lotor is," Lance pointed out.

Ed's eyes widened in surprise before he huffed out a breath. "Yeah, actually, that would work," Ed said, shaking his head. He had no idea why he hadn't thought of that. "Good thinking, Lance," he said before he clapped his hands and released his tracking array. Just as Lance had theorised, he could see the Green, Black and Red pairs fighting something his array couldn't see, which made it look like they were attacking an empty space. Stopping his array, Ed turned to Lance and almost grinned at the pink flush still evident on his cheeks. "Okay, Lotor is that way," Ed pointed to his left, "and he's about ten metres from the front wall and seven or so metres from where Mustang, Al, and Hawkeye are currently standing," he told him.

Pulling his bayard back out and transforming it into his sniper, Lance nodded. "Alright, let's end this bloody mission," Lance said before he walked the few feet he needed until he was able to use his sniper rifle while maintaining some cover so he hopefully wouldn't be noticed by their enemy.

Ed leaned around the corner so he could watch was about to happen and see Lotor get what the slimy bastard deserved. He was still mad about the stun grenade the arsehole had used against him, Green, Yellow and Den. Shiro and Keith were fighting him up close, making him use a sword rather than his blaster. Pidge and the three Lions had him surrounded, waiting for their moments to strike and from the burn marks around Lotor's left leg, Pidge had shocked him at least once. The prince's face seemed set in a permanent snarl as he fought Keith and Shiro while trying to keep the other four in his sights. Ed noticed that Hawkeye had her rifle but it seemed as though she hadn't been able to get a shot in, if Ed was reading the slight signs of irritation correctly.

A slight movement from below him had Ed focusing on Lance once more and he watched as the Blue Paladin pulled in a steadying breath as he lined up his shot and waited for the right moment. Ed's attention was drawn back to the fight when a metal clang rang out in the room and his breath caught in his throat as he watched Keith struggle against Lotor, who had caught his sword with his and was trying to wrench it out of the Red Paladin's grip. Keith was forced to release his sword or have his wrist broken. Lotor's victorious smirk slipped off his face when Keith pulled out his Mamora blade and extended it into a sword before he launched back into the fight.

Another minute passed before Lance got his opportunity. Lotor managed to shove both Keith and Shiro back a few feet, leaving his back exposed to Lance and that was his mistake. Lance didn't hesitate and the blue energy bullet hit exactly where he'd aimed it: right into the back of Lotor's right knee. Ed and Lance saw the startled looks Lance got from Mustang, Al and even Hawkeye, none of whom had even noticed them standing there. Lotor went down to his knees with a muffled shout of pain but before he could even think about getting to his feet, Black moved in for the literal kill.

There wasn't one face that didn't hold surprise, shock, disgust or sympathy as Black sunk her teeth into Lotor's neck and shoulder, locking her jaw and shaking her head viciously from side to side. Lotor gurgled wetly and Ed only avoided throwing up at the sight and sound through years of experience. Lotor went limp in Black's jaws and she shook him once more, as though to make sure he was really dead before she released him and backed away. Blood covered her maw and front and Ed knew he'd be offering to clean it off before he let her step foot out of this warehouse.

"That is _disgusting!_ Black, you are getting the most thorough bath you have ever gotten, you understand me?!" Lance informed her as he transformed his bayard back into its neutral form.

Lance's words had the effect he'd intended as everyone broke out of their shock. "Lance! Hunk! Are you guys alright?!" Pidge asked as she raced for her friends, skirting the dying body of Lotor and blood he was leaking from his fatal injury.

Ed glanced over at the bound generals and saw both of them staring at Lotor's dead body with disbelief and shock. "Boy, you two fucked up gloriously this time, didn't you?" Ed asked as he let the Garrison Trio have their reunion, which was quickly joined by the other Paladins and Ed grinned as Lance and Hunk drank in the affection while also trying to get them to stop it. Both Widdon and Combes growled at him as best they could behind their makeshift muzzles.

"Glad to see your mission was successful and that the building is intact," Mustang drawled as he, Al and Hawkeye approached them. Mustang glanced at the bound forms of Widdon and Combes and didn't bother hiding his amusement.

"There's still time," Ed said cheerily. "Your mission seemed to be a success as well," Ed said, noting the lack of injuries and angry female alchemist.

"Captain Hawkeye was able to eliminate her pre-carved array," Mustang told him casually. "It seems as though these two fed her lies about what my job entails and she was under the impression that I had personally turned down her application to the State Alchemist branch," he said nonchalantly.

"You aren't hurt, are you, Brother?" Al asked, almost bursting with his desire to check his brother's physical health.

"Completely unharmed," Ed said. "Not even a scratch," he told them, nodding at their shocked and disbelieving faces. "I'm surprised too. Probably helped that the idiots I took down were actually idiots," Ed mused. "Which reminds me, there are nine morons on the next two levels securely bound and waiting to be arrested," Ed told Mustang, who just nodded.

"No serious injuries for them?" Mustang asked but Ed shook his head.

"I did knock one dude out but only a little," Ed admitted.

Mustang just sighed before he turned his attention to the two Paladins and Lions that were being fussed over. "I'm glad to see the four of you in one piece," Mustang said as he took a few paces over to join them. The three other Amestrians followed him quickly enough, neither wanting to be near Widdon and Combes any longer than necessary, even if they were bound and gagged. "That was some excellent shooting, Lance," Mustang praised.

"Thank you, Mustang," Lance said, his cheeks pinkening with the praise. "I'm just glad it actually worked," he laughed, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Why did you aim for the back of his knee? His entire back was open to you," Hawkeye asked curiously but Ed could see the glint in her eyes. She wanted to know whether there had been something she had missed.

"Well, really it was because of his suit," Lance told her. "A bullet – one of yours or an energy shot like mine wouldn't have gotten through his suit. One of your bullets would've stung like a bitch to be hit with, maybe even broken something on a human wearing his suit but Lotor probably would've been able to keep going. One of my energy shots would've had the same effect however my advantage was that my energy shots hit a wider target area," Lance said. "So I knew I had to pick a spot where it'd actually hurt him and take him down so one of the others could secure him. His knee was the best spot I could think of in the moment," he admitted. "Didn't really expect Black to do what she did though," he added with a laugh. Black looked proud of herself.

"That reminds me," Ed said before he pointed to her. "Get over here so I can alchemise that off you while it's still wet," he ordered.

" _Bossy, bossy,"_ she teased but did as she was asked.

"Yes, I think we were all rather surprised at Black's actions," Hawkeye said as she eyed the Lion as she walked towards Ed. "However, that was some exceptionally clever thinking, Lance. You make a fine sharpshooter," she told him, her tone kind but no-nonsense.

Lance's cheeks darkened a bright red, causing Shiro to chuckle as he wrapped an arm around the younger Paladin's shoulders. "We are very proud of him," Shiro told her, his grin widening when Lance's cheeks reddened further.

Ed chuckled before he clapped out of habit and pressed his hands lightly to Black's jaw and chest. Blue energy danced across her form as he allowed the array to draw the blood on her coat away from it and into a small sphere that he held balanced on invisible alchemic strings between his hands. Using a different array, Ed solidified the blood ball before he destroyed it with another. "Okay, you're all clean," Ed told her, getting a happy grin from the Lion.

"You are still getting a bath," Lance warned her, pointing a finger that dared her to argue with him.

" _That's acceptable,"_ Black said even as she nodded to Lance, who gave a relieved sigh.

"Okay, now there are two things we need to deal with," Ed said, getting everyone's attention. "Lotor's body and what we do with it and those two complete dickheads," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to gesture to Widdon and Combes.

"I'll ask Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes to request Doctor Knox on my behalf for the body's collection," Mustang said. "As for those two, unfortunately they are above us in rank so technically we can't arrest them by ourselves. We'll need to see if someone above major-general is in Central and wants the pleasure," Mustang told him, nodding sympathetically when Ed pouted in displeasure.

"So we need to talk to Brookes?" Ed asked and Mustang nodded. "Is he outside now?" the blonde asked and, again, Mustang nodded. "Alright, I'll be back," he said before he headed for the door without waiting for someone to argue with him. It didn't take him very long to find his fellow lieutenant-colonel once he was outside and he grinned at him. "Hey, Brookes!" Ed greeted the man.

"Hey, Ed. Everything handled in there now?" Brookes asked as Havoc came to stand beside him.

"Yeah we got it sorted," Ed told him before he looked at Havoc. "Can you go and grab Breda, Falman, and Fuery and tell them they don't have to stand guard around back anymore?" Ed asked.

"Sure thing, Chief," Havoc said, snapping a cheeky salute and moving before Ed could retaliate physically.

Ed still flipped him off as the lieutenant walked away before he turned back to Brookes. "Lotor's dead and we've got everyone else contained. Has anyone told you who was backing Lotor?" Ed asked.

"Ah, no, I've been busy dealing with the witnesses but since they're Widdon's and Combes' teams, I'm going to assume it was them," Brookes said, a smile tugging at his lips when Ed's own graced his face.

"Yes! They were stupid enough to do that and now we can throw them out of the military and today has been one of the best days ever," Ed told him joyfully. Brookes didn't bother trying to hide his grin. "Oh, but that reminds me that we need you to contact Doctor Knox and see if he'll come get Lotor's body and can you contact Grumman and see if he'll send someone ranked above major-general to come and arrest those two morons?" Ed asked.

Brookes' grin widened. "I have no problems with calling in Doctor Knox," Brookes said, nodding to Clarke to do just that, "however I don't need to call Fuhrer Grumman," Brookes told him.

Ed's confused frown only lasted as long as it took for him to notice Grumman standing a few feet away. "Hey, Fuhrer Grumman!" Ed greeted. "How come you're out here?" Ed asked. Usually Grumman didn't come to raids since he had far more important things to deal with.

"When Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes informed me that four of the diplomatic guests had been kidnapped, I cleared my schedule so I could personally ensure they were safe and that those who had dared to lift a finger against them were dealt with appropriately," Grumman informed him, a twinkle in his eyes. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes also informed me that there was a problem with two of my generals leaving their posts for hours at a time with no warning and that they were apparently doing so for my sake. On a hunch, I asked Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes to escort me to their offices and lo and behold, both offices were empty," Grumman told him and Ed's grin widened. "Since I didn't believe the two incidents to be mere coincidences, I followed Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes here to see if my hunch was correct," he said.

"Awesome," Ed said happily. "If you wanna arrest them now, I will _happily_ release them," Ed told him.

"Oh, I must see how the famous Fullmetal Alchemist secured two traitors to our military," Grumman said, a slight grin on his face.

Clarke came back over to whisper something to Brookes before she left to deal with the witnesses once more. "Lieutenant Clarke says that Doctor Knox is one his way though she does warn that the secretary told us he wasn't very happy about it," Brookes told them.

"Doc Knox is never happy when Mustang asks him to attend a scene personally," Ed told them. It wasn't until he spotted Shiro's jacket and glove sitting on the boot of one of the cars they'd travelled in that Ed even remembered Shiro had taken them off. Snatching them up, he just hoped Shiro had managed to keep his prosthetic out of Widdon and Combes' sights because he did _not_ want to have to explain that right now. "Good to go?" he asked, a touch impatiently since he was very eager to finally be rid of Widdon and Combes once and for all.

"Yes, let's go," Brookes said while Grumman nodded.

Ed happily led the two, plus Grumman's four guards, into the warehouse. He saw them grimace slightly at the sight of Lotor's body but they didn't allow themselves to linger. Both Mustang and Hawkeye looked shocked to see Grumman with Ed and Brookes and it took them a moment to remember to salute the man, though he was quick to wave them out of it. Ed took the opportunity to slip Shiro his jacket and glove and check where the two disgraced-generals' lines of sight were. Thankfully, it seemed that Shiro's arm had been hidden from them by chance as Shiro was standing with Hunk and Lance in between him and the captured generals which meant Ed got out of trying to come up with a cover story for Shiro's obviously advanced prosthetic. Shiro quickly tugged both on as Grumman's eyes found the bound forms of Widdon and Combes. To the Fuhrer's credit, Grumman didn't let any of his mirth show as he took them in.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said, his voice serious, "once my men are in place, would you please release the captives so they can be arrested?" he requested.

"With immense pleasure, Sir," Ed said, moving to stand behind the two bound generals. Grumman's guards were quick to take on a general, two soldiers to one, before Grumman nodded to Ed. "They're armed, by the way. I alchemised their weapons in there with them," Ed warned the soldiers. The four soldiers nodded to Ed, readying themselves to grab for the generals' arms the moment Ed released them. Confident the soldiers were prepared, Ed clapped and placed his hands on each form and directed the alchemic energy over each of them, causing the release to happen slowly so the soldiers could disarm and cuff each general. Once they were, Ed sped up the transmutation until the two generals were freed.

"Fuhrer Grumman -!" both of them started to immediately and predictably protest their treatment but Grumman held up a hand.

"Major-General Russell Widdon, Major-General Collin Combes, you are both under arrest for the kidnapping of four diplomatic guests of Amestris, for aiding a known fugitive, for multiple counts of blackmail and for treason," Grumman informed them. "At this time, you will be stripped of your rank, effective immediately. Should you be found innocent of these crimes, you will _not_ be reinstated to your ranks as you broke your probation when you abandoned your posts on three different occasions for numerous hours without permission," Grumman told them, eyes glinting when their faces paled. Obviously, they had thought Grumman wouldn't have noticed or known about them leaving the base every day. "You have the right to your own attorney, however if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. You have the right to remain silent as anything you say from this moment forward can and will be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand your rights as I have described them to you?" Grumman asked, voice sounding almost bored but Ed could see the slight enjoyment Grumman was getting out of this.

Neither Widdon nor Combes seemed to want to say anything but an impatient noise from Grumman told them they didn't have a choice. "I understand my rights," Widdon ground out, his face red with humiliation and defeat.

"As do I," Combes said, his eyes down as he refused to meet any of their eyes. It was obvious from his demeanour that he thought his and Widdon's plan with Lotor would've undoubtedly succeeded and now he was nearly in shock over the fact that it didn't.

"Definitely one of the ten best days of my life right now," Ed declared as he joined back up with Voltron, his brother, commanding officer and teammate.

Combes and Widdon glared at him before hanging their heads again while Grumman's soldiers led them out, arms cuffed behind them. Not a single person or Lion looked anything other than victorious about seeing them led out in handcuffs. Grumman didn't immediately leave with them, however. "Is there anything else that requires my presence at this scene?" he asked but Mustang shook his head.

"No, everything else we can deal with," Mustang confirmed. "Thank you for your assistance, Fuhrer Grumman," he said.

Grumman's grin almost matched Ed's. "Please believe me when I say that nothing would've stopped me from being the one to arrest those two," he told them before he glanced at Ed. "This moment was probably one of my top ten for this year as well," he said.

Ed grinned as Al rolled his eyes. "It felt pretty good washing yours and the military's hands of them once and for all, didn't it?" Ed asked knowingly and Grumman let out a chuckle.

"I will admit that there was a sense of victory, yes," Grumman said before his eyes flicked to Voltron. "I am sorry for any suffering you felt at the hands of two members of my military and I hope you can accept my deepest apologies on behalf of Amestris," he said seriously.

"We accept your apology, though I would like to say that it's unnecessary," Lance said, speaking on behalf of himself and Hunk. "We weren't hurt or anything. Plus, this got us to Lotor and it let Ed take down Widdon and Combes so really, it was kind of worth it," Lance said while Hunk, Blue and Yellow nodded in agreement.

"Nonetheless, you should never have been attacked as you were and I apologise for that, even if the results of it were far more rewarding than we could've ever imagined," Grumman said.

"We accept your apology," Shiro said, repeating Lance's words.

"Thank you," Grumman said, bowing slightly. "Now, I'm gonna escort two former-generals to their jail cells then enjoy a good cup of tea or glass of whiskey," Grumman told them before he headed out of the warehouse after his guards and disgraced generals.

"He is my favourite Fuhrer ever," Ed declared, causing several people to chuckle.

"The only other Fuhrer you knew was Wrath. The competition isn't exactly fierce for Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang pointed out.

"That is not the point," Ed informed him and Mustang raised his hands up in a surrender. "When's Doc Knox gonna turn up to get rid of Lotor's body?" Ed asked.

"He shouldn't be awfully long. Maybe another twenty minutes?" Brookes suggested.

"That is enough time for you to go get as many of your people as possible and the rest of Mustang's team and come with me and Al so you guys can arrest the idiots I trapped upstairs," Ed told him.

To Brookes' credit, he didn't react further than nodding at Ed's words. "We should probably get a handle on this scene and start processing it," Brookes said. "Once all the arrests are made and Lotor's body has been dealt with, I'll need to get your reports to finalise mine," Brookes told them.

"That's fine," Mustang said. "Voltron will obviously have to give theirs as diplomatic guests," he said, mainly to remind the Paladins that they needed to remember their cover story.

"Yes, I will need statements from the five of you," Brookes agreed, nodding at the humans. "Depending on how long this scene takes to process, we might just handle it all at the base, if that's alright with you guys?" he asked and got nods all around. Breathing a sigh of relief, Brookes looked over at Lotor's body. "I gotta say, it'll be nice waking up tomorrow and knowing I don't have to worry about trying to help you guys track him down," he admitted.

Ed looked at Voltron before he looked back at Brookes. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we couldn't agree more," he told him, a relieved smile on his face that Brookes returned.

"Glad I'm not the only one," Brookes said before he sighed as he looked around at everything, raising his eyes to the floor above them as though he could see through it. "Alright, let's get this mess sorted out, shall we?" he asked.

Ed grinned at him. "Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 26 for you all and the long coming conclusion to Lotor and the two generals! I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I do apologise to anyone who was expecting a big, epic, bloody fight between the two groups but I decided I'd like to do one story in this series where Ed and/or Al weren't a bloodied mess at the end of the main fight. I do promise that there is a reason this story continues for 11 more chapters and it's not all fluff and happiness so I hope you stick around for it. See you all next week!


	27. Chapter 27

It had taken several hours for Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and his team to finish processing the scene. He'd allowed Voltron, General Mustang, his team and Alphonse to leave a few hours earlier with the request that they write their reports up in time for him to collect them the next day, since he knew from experience that he wouldn't be finished collecting evidence and processing everything until early evening, at the very earliest. Mustang had thanked him before ordering Lieutenants Havoc and Breda to hang around until Doctor Knox was finished with the body so they could accompany him and Lotor's corpse. Brookes had wanted to ask but decided the answer he would get wouldn't be the complete truth unless he asked in private or the presence of those Mustang trusted above all others.

He almost sighed as he saw Lieutenant Clarke approach him, not knowing whether it would be good or bad news from his second-in-command. A quick glance at his wristwatch told him it was nearing eight in the evening and he could only hope Clarke was about to give him good news. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes," Clarke addressed him, complete with a salute he was quick to dismiss. At his nod, she continued. "The teams you sent to find and question potential witnesses have returned and the teams who were responsible for searching the warehouse for evidence have reported the completion of their assignment," she told him.

Brookes almost wanted to sob in relief. It had been a long nine days since the introductory meeting between Fuhrer Grumman, the six generals who had been in Central at the time and Voltron and Brookes could finally say the majority of his latest investigation was finally over. All he had to deal with from this point onwards was readying any and all evidence he or his team had gathered for the upcoming trials. He would, of course, need to open a new investigation into former-Generals Widdon and Combes, not only because of the crimes they'd just been arrested for but to make sure there were no other crimes in their past that they'd need to answer for. However, Brookes smirked internally, he suspected he would be able to ask a certain blonde State Alchemist to assist him and would be met with immense enthusiasm.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Brookes nodded to the waiting Clarke. "If the teams have finished their assignments, they may be sent home once they've delivered the evidence and their notes where they need to go," Brookes told her. "Once you've assigned guards to this warehouse, you may retire for the night, Lieutenant Clarke," he told her.

"Thank you, Lieutenant-Colonel. I'll inform the teams now," Clarke told him, saluting once more before she left after Brookes waved her salute away.

The investigator finished taking the last few notes he needed before he tucked his notepad away and headed for the door. Clarke had worked quickly, Brookes noted, since there were two guards stationed on either side of the ruined front door. Brookes nodded to them before he headed for his car. He already knew there would be another two around the back of the building without bothering to check since Clarke would've made sure of it. His team were still outside the building but it was obvious they'd been given his orders since they were packing their car's boot full of evidence boxes, ready to deliver them to the crime laboratory or the office, depending on what the evidence was.

Brookes merely nodded to his team, knowing he'd see them in the office at some time over the next hour since they had to return to the base in order to collect anything they brought to work with them before they went home, before he hopped in his car. Pulling it off the curb, Brookes drove towards Central Command. Briefly, he debated about getting something to eat on his way but decided he'd rather grab something on his way home that night, as something of a celebration for a job well done. So, with that decision made, Brookes headed for the base without making any detours.

* * *

It only took fifteen minutes at this time of night to get back to the base and Brookes was happy about it. Handing his keys to the soldier manning the desk at the military car park, he let him know that he'd be coming back at some stage to pick up another car so he could get home. The soldier nodded and made a notation so the others working that department for the night would know. Thanking the soldier, Brookes headed into the base and made his way to his office. Knowing it was unlikely, Brookes still checked the window he knew looked into Mustang's inner office on his way to his own office just in case the team was still there for some reason. As Brookes had suspected, the office was dark, a sure sign no one was there so he didn't bother visiting them.

Opening the door to his own office, Brookes was mildly surprised to find Sheska was still at her desk. "Miss Sheska?" Brookes called softly, not wanting to startle the timid woman. His efforts were in vain as Sheska jumped slightly in her seat.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes!" Sheska gasped, bespectacled eyes widening as she swung them to the door. She managed to calm herself down before Brookes could apologise for unintentionally scaring her. "Sorry, sir, I had no idea you were on your way back," Sheska told him as she watched him approach her desk.

"It's fine, Sheska," Brookes assured her. "How come you're still in the office? Your day ended two hours ago," he said.

Sheska nodded. "Yes, however there were just so many phone calls as I was about to leave so I stayed behind to make sure you got the messages," Sheska told him. "Also, Edward dropped by with some of his Voltron friends and Alphonse before they went home for the night with a message for you," Sheska said. "He'd like me to tell you – and I quote – 'Mustang reckons he's gonna be in the office by six tomorrow morning but his lazy arse probably won't be in closer to seven. I'm gonna be in at six though since I want to see him get lectured by Hawkeye. I've written up my report so if you wanna drop by and possibly witness Hawkeye shoot Mustang, you're welcome to do so under the pretense of picking up my report' – end quote," she said. It was obvious that repeating the message had been both an amusing and uncomfortable experience for her since it was a very, very rare occasion where Sheska would swear.

Brookes didn't bother to hide his amusement at the very Edward-like message. "Thank you, Sheska," Brookes said, getting a nod from the woman. "I'll take any other messages you have for me then you can go home for the night," he told her.

Sheska didn't hesitate to hand over a small stack of messages for Brookes to take, which he readily did. "Thank you, sir," Sheska said. "Have a good night," she bade him as she stood up from her desk, her already packed bag now hanging on her shoulder.

"You too, Sheska. I'll see you in the morning," Brookes said, nodding to her before he headed for his office to deal with the messages and wait for his team to come into the office before they headed home. He barely noticed as the outer office door opened and closed again as Sheska went home for the night.

Over the course of the next hour, Brookes first went through his messages and returned the calls he knew would be answered at that time of night before he placed the notes that contained the details for the others next to his phone to remind him that he needed to return the calls when he came in for work the next morning. After he finished the last call, Brookes turned his attention to starting the paperwork he needed to do regarding the completion of the search for Lotor. The paperwork required to declare the mission successfully completed was far less than the paperwork Brookes knew he'd be filling out regarding Combes, Widdon, the female alchemist, and the nine other arrests made that night.

Even if Widdon's and Combes' trials happened simultaneously, there would still be eleven trials to deal with, assuming none of them pleaded guilty or were offered a deal that involved immunity if they became witnesses for the prosecution, not that Brookes thought that was likely regarding this case. There was more than enough evidence to convict Widdon and Combes on their current charges without more than their teams and Mustang's as witnesses. Of course, there was always the possibility that one or two of the ten civilians arrested had evidence on another major investigation and would use that to try and strike a deal with the military. Brookes almost hoped that would be the case because it would likely mean less paperwork for him.

For forty minutes, Brookes worked on the paperwork regarding Lotor and the mission to find him. During that time, he'd only been interrupted by his team ducking their heads into his office one at a time to let him know they were finished for the night. Each time, Brookes thanked them for their work and dismissed them for the night. Lieutenant Clarke was the last to enter Brookes' inner office and she did so just as Brookes was almost finished the last of the paperwork he could do without the reports from Mustang, Edward, and their team.

"I have completed my assigned duties, sir. Is there anything else you require of me?" Clarke asked but Brookes shook his head as he dismissed her salute.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Clarke. I have nothing else I require of you. You may head home," he told her.

"I'll see you in the morning then, sir," Clarke said, saluting him once more and having it dismissed just as quickly. "Try and go home soon, sir. I believe we've all earned a good night's sleep after the last week and a half," she said.

Brookes huffed slightly. "I completely agree, Lieutenant," Brookes told her. "I'll be heading home once I'm finished here, which should only take a few more minutes," he said, looking at the nearly completed paperwork. All he needed to do now was sort it out so that he'd just have to add the reports from Mustang and his team before he could send it to Fuhrer Grumman.

"Very good, sir. Have a good night," Clarke said. Brookes returned the sentiment before he dismissed her once more. It only took a couple of minutes for Brookes to hear the outer office door open and close behind his lieutenant. "Nearly done," Brookes whispered to himself as he placed a few papers where he needed them. Knowing he wasn't expecting any of his team to interrupt him now, Brookes was able to concentrate fully on one thing: what restaurant he would be ordering dinner from to celebrate Lotor being found and handled and knowing he wouldn't be answering to Widdon or Combes anymore.

* * *

"You're home early," Gracia commented as she heard her front door open, several footsteps enter and her door close once more.

"Big brothers!" Elysia called as she raced from the loungeroom to the entry hall once she realised who her mother was talking to.

"Hey, El," Gracia heard Ed say. There was a familiar shrieking laugh that told her that her daughter had just been swept up into a big hug before Ed appeared in the loungeroom, Elysia in his arms, though she was being passed over to Al so the younger Elric could give her a hug of his own. "Miss Gracia," Ed said, voice serious and Gracia would admit she was a little worried, "today ended up being probably one of the best days of my military career," he told her.

Gracia let out a chuckle that was part amusement, part relief. "What happened?" she asked as the boys and the two teams of Voltron who were staying with her settled into the couches. Elysia had vacated Al's arms in favour of hugging Blue and Black, which both Lions seemed to enjoy immensely.

"Lance, Hunk, Blue and Yellow got kidnapped, we found Lotor and took him down and both Widdon and Combes got arrested for helping Lotor and kidnapping four diplomatic guests," Ed told her so casually that it took a moment for his words to sink in.

"Are you okay?" Gracia asked, her green eyes already going over the six of them for any sign of injury. Elysia was doing the same, though she was also pulling at their sleeves and pants legs as though looking for hints of bandages. "What injuries did you get?" Gracia asked bluntly.

"None," Ed told her, grinning at her disbelief. "Seriously, not a single one of us got more than bruises or minor scratches and Al and I weren't one of those," he said.

Al nodded at his brother's words. "Seriously, Miss Gracia," he said. "Ed took down eleven people and I went up against an alchemist who could use the electricity around her to create lightning and neither of us so much as got a bruise," he told her. "I think Shiro, Hunk and Keith were the only ones who got any kind of injury."

Shiro nodded when Gracia looked at him, her jaw still slightly slack. "The only reason Keith and I were hurt – and we only suffered some bruising and some grazes from where we hit the ground – was because we were the ones fighting Lotor in close combat," he told her.

"Hunk's wrists were tied too tight so he got some minor bruising from that but I've already patched them all up. I don't think there'll be any signs of bruising by now," Lance said, looking at Shiro, who nodded to confirm his suspicions.

Gracia sighed in relief but Elysia didn't look convinced. "You _really_ didn't get hurt?" she asked, her eyes flicking between the four humans.

Ed grabbed and squeezed her hand. "We really didn't, El," Ed promised her. "Out of all of the bad guys we fought today, only two were harder than the rest to take down but they weren't challenging enough to win against all of us," he told her.

Elysia nodded like that explanation was unsurprising. "That's 'cuz no one can beat _my_ big brothers!" she said with conviction, nodding to further emphasise the truth in her words.

"Well, no _bad guys_ can beat us," Al corrected her gently. "We haven't managed to beat our teacher yet," he reminded her when the young girl frowned at him.

Elysia's confused expression cleared as she recalled the formidable woman that was her brothers' alchemy teacher. "I don't think anyone can beat Mrs. Curtis," Elysia said seriously, causing Ed and Al to laugh.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ed told her, still chuckling. Seeing Lance's and Shiro's bemused expressions. "Izumi Curtis is our alchemy teacher. I'm sure I told you guys about her and her husband, Sig?" he asked. "They took Al and I in after our mother passed away and Izumi agreed to teach us alchemy, survival skills and fighting with weapons and/or hand-to-hand," he explained.

"Oh, yeah, I remember you telling us about her now. She and her husband run a butcher's shop?" Lance asked and Ed nodded. "She was one of those who were used by Father on Promised Day as well, right?" he asked and again, Ed gave him a nod.

"Yeah, she was one of the five," he told them. The word 'sacrifice' was left out only because of Elysia who, though she knew that Ed, Al, Mustang, Hohenheim and Izumi were chosen by Father on Promised Day, had been told it was because he wanted them to perform some very dangerous alchemy for him and not that Father had forced them to open their Gates or that he had been moments away from murdering them and achieving his goal. "She was also the one who had teamed up with General and Major Armstrong to take down Sloth earlier that day," he added.

"She certainly sounds like a woman you wouldn't want to cross," Shiro said as he remembered Ed and Mustang describing the homunculi back on the Castle-Ship.

"You might get lucky enough to meet her," Ed told him. "She and Sig are gonna visit Central in two or three days since Teacher is going to honoured alongside the rest of us during the Promised Day memorial," Ed said. "I think they plan on arriving in two days so they can attend the meeting Grumman wants to hold with those of us who will be part of the award ceremony," he told them, a slight roll of his eyes accompanying his words. Those in the room – with the exception of Elysia – all knew how much Ed didn't think the award ceremony was necessary since he'd only done what any half-decent person would've done when they discovered the whole country was going to be sacrificed by a power-hungry almost immortal being.

"Have the Lions told Princess Allura what happened today at all?" Al asked, Ed's comment about Voltron maybe being lucky enough to meet Izumi having made him realise that it was possible that they could be going back to their dimension as soon as the next day.

" _We did,"_ Black said, Shiro acting as her translator. _"They haven't quite gotten the dimension-jumping teleduv to work just yet but Allura reported that Matthew and Samuel Holt feel like they're incredibly close to a breakthrough. After that, it'll be a matter of running the tests Pidge spoke of earlier before they can collect us,"_ she told them through Shiro. _"She and the Holt's are confident that it will only be a matter of hours, maybe a couple of quintets, until the machine is working and Allura is cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to go home within the next seven quintets,"_ she reported.

"So you'll be going home soon?" Elysia asked, her eyes wide and lips twitching downwards slightly in a sign of her displeasure with the news.

"Yes, we will be," Shiro told her, obviously trying to be somewhat gentle as he confirmed the news.

Elysia's eyes swung to look at Ed and Al. "Will they come back? Or are they gonna be stuck in their world like your other friends, big brother?" she asked Ed.

Her question was one of the few that Ed couldn't answer right away. "You remember me telling you about how Princess Allura and Pidge's family were building a special machine that might be able to open up a portal in between our worlds?" Ed asked and Elysia nodded. "That's what Black was talking about when she said 'teleduv'," Ed told her. "If this machine works then Voltron will be going home but we don't know what it'll cost Allura or Pidge's family to make the machine work long enough for someone to go through the portal. It's possible that Princess Allura won't be able to power it for very long or that she will have no control over where the portal opens up," Ed warned her. "If Allura can choose where the portal opens and she's not hurt or left really, really tired after opening it, then yes, it is possible that Voltron will be able to visit Amestris again," he said, finally answering Elysia's question.

Elysia's eyes widened in delight but Al was quick to make sure she knew it wasn't a given. "Remember, Elysia, it might not be possible for them to come back, even if the teleduv works. Voltron has a really important job in their world and they can't afford to have Allura unable to help if she's left really tired after using the teleduv," Al reminded her. "Even if the teleduv doesn't cost Allura a lot of energy and they can come back, it's not like they'd be able to visit all the time. Their home has to come first and so does their work," he warned her.

Elysia nodded in understanding. "I know, big brothers," she promised them, still looking excited. "I'm just really happy that they might be able to visit us again 'cuz I really like them!" she told them. Ed had to try really hard not to laugh at the way Lance, Blue and Black nearly melted where they sat at that. Even Shiro looked like he was struggling not to pull Elysia into a tight hug.

Gracia looked like she was torn between laughing at the two pairs of Voltron's reaction and joining them in melting at how cute her daughter was. She was so glad that Elysia got the opportunity to get to know the Paladins and Lions of Voltron. This last week had seen her daughter becoming far more fearless in most things and it was obvious how much she enjoyed spending time with the ten of them. Gracia had lost count of the amount of times Elysia had begged her to go over to her godfather/uncle's so she could spend time with everyone else. Thankfully, Elysia hadn't thrown much of a tantrum each time Gracia had to say no because the Lions and their pilots wouldn't be there or because Elysia couldn't miss school just to see them but Gracia knew that she'd have to make sure the whole group had another dinner party before they left so that Elysia could spend time with them all at least once more.

Deciding that was something she would need to discuss with Mustang, Gracia got to her feet, effectively gathering everyone's attention. "It certainly sounds like we have a lot to celebrate," she told them. "What should we have for dinner?" she asked, grinning when the seven of them immediately started discussing their options enthusiastically.

It took a couple of minutes but Elysia was the one who made the suggestion that everyone agreed on. "Macaroni and cheese with bacon mixed in please, Mama!" the young girl requested when she'd gotten the nods of agreement from everyone.

Gracia didn't bother checking with the others that that was what they wanted as well since she had watched the discussion with amusement. "Then that's what we shall have," Gracia told her, getting an excited whoop from Elysia and Lance. "I might need one of you boys to do a quick run to the shops for some ingredients," she warned Ed and Al as she headed for the kitchen.

"That's fine, Miss Gracia," Ed assured her. "Just let us know what you want," he said and Gracia gave him a nod.

"I will," she said before she grinned when Elysia's attention was grabbed by Blue and Black once more. She recognised the playful twinkle in her daughter's eyes easily. "I think my daughter will be more than happy to keep you all busy while I fix dinner," Gracia said, chuckling when Elysia nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Ed and Al shared a look that clearly told Gracia there would be an argument about who got to go to the shops and who would get to stay behind to entertain Elysia, assuming Gracia needed any groceries. "I'm sure you'll be proven right," Ed said with a chuckle as Elysia started declaring what game they would be playing. "Let us know if you end up needing a hand or something," he said as Al found himself drawn into Elysia's talk.

Gracia gave him a smile that was half grateful, half amused. "I will," she told him. Ed gave her a nod before he let Elysia get his attention so that he would know the rules of the game she wanted to play.

Gracia smiled at the scene in front of her, almost laughing at the way Blue and Black's ears were perked forward in an obvious sign that Elysia had their attention before she headed into the kitchen to look for the ingredients she would need to make the celebratory dinner she'd promised them. She was glad that Lance, Hunk, Blue and Yellow were safe and unhurt and though she wished the four of them hadn't gone through something as scary as being kidnapped, Gracia couldn't help but feel relieved that they wouldn't have to worry about Lotor any longer. She was burning with curiousity and wanted to ask about the details of their day but managed to stop herself from turning back around and interrogating the boys in her loungeroom by reminding herself that dinner needed to be made and that she would get her answers while Elysia was in the shower that night. Satisfied with that, Gracia started digging through her pantry for the dry ingredients she would need and making note of things she would need her boys to go and buy for her soon.

* * *

As Ed had asked Sheska the previous afternoon to tell Brookes, he was in Mustang's office by six the next morning with his brother and the four members of Voltron staying with them. Al's comments about how Ed shouldn't be hoping Mustang turns up late so that Hawkeye will threaten him went ignored by the elder Elric but, much to Ed's obvious disappointment, Mustang had turned up on time with the six missing members of Voltron in tow.

" _I think he knew you were hoping he wouldn't be in the office on time because he was pretty insistent that we leave so he could be,"_ Red told Ed as she took a seat next to him while Ed glowered at Mustang, who was now accepting paperwork from Hawkeye.

"Don't forget that Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes will be here some time this morning to collect our reports about what happened yesterday. I suggest that if you haven't completed it already that your report is the first thing you do this morning," Mustang said as he adjusted his hold on the papers. "The sooner Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes can close the Lotor investigation officially, the sooner this team will be able to undertake new missions," he added, looking significantly at Ed.

It took the blonde a couple of seconds to realise what Mustang was subtly implying – he blamed the lack of caffeine for the fact he didn't catch on immediately – and Ed scowled at him. "Mine's written," he told his commanding officer, who gave him a very disbelieving look. "Just because I enjoy making your life difficult when it comes to getting reports from me, it doesn't mean I do the same to others," Ed informed him.

Mustang didn't look very impressed with that bit of information but Hawkeye cut off any retort he could've made. "I suggest you follow your own advice, General," Hawkeye said passively. "I'm sure you'll find that much of your paperwork needs to be finished today as well as your report for Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes," she told him.

Mustang's unimpressed expression flickered into annoyance before he managed to cover it with his usual mask. "I'm sure you'll be proven correct, Captain," Mustang admitted, though he certainly didn't sound happy about it. "What are your plans today now that Lotor has been dealt with?" Mustang asked, looking between Ed and Shiro.

Ed glanced at the others before he shrugged. "I know that Grumman wants us to attend a meeting tomorrow about the Promised Day memorial and what's expected of us during it. Teacher, Sig and Scar should be on the first trains from Resembool and Dublith in the morning so we'll probably be busy with all of that. I was gonna suggest that I take them," Ed gestured to Voltron, "to the clearing we use for my lessons so they can practice their elemental abilities since Pidge hasn't really gotten much of a chance since Resembool to do so," Ed told him. "Plus, I wanna see it in action and I'd love to go up against them in an alchemy v. elemental fight," he added.

"Oh, so do I," Al said, sounding excited about the prospect.

Shiro glanced at his teammates and noted the intrigued looks on their faces. "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me," Shiro said, looking back at Mustang. "It'd be interesting to go up against two alchemists like Ed and Al rather than gladiators or Allura and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we would like practice as a team. It's a very, very rare occurrence that we can do so considering Pidge and, to a certain degree, Hunk can't really practice their ability on the Castle-Ship," he told them.

"You'll be fine getting there and back?" Mustang asked and Ed gave a nod. The clearing wasn't that far from Mustang's place, maybe a fifteen-minute walk, which would make it about a forty-five-minute walk from the base. "Alright. Try not to destroy the woods," Mustang said.

"No promises," Ed said cheerfully, causing Al to shake his head in resignation before he looked at Mustang.

"We'll be careful," Al promised.

Ed scowled at him then Mustang when the older alchemist nodded at his little brother in thanks. But before Ed could say something in response, a knock sounded at the door. Mustang called for them to enter, his surprise and curiousity showing in his eyes as he did so. Ed couldn't tease the man for that since it was very rare that someone pay the office a visit this early, unless it was paperwork for Mustang. However, that had already been delivered that morning so Ed truly didn't know who was at the door, at least until it opened and he spotted Brookes standing on the other side.

"Hey, Brookes," Ed greeted, pairing it with a small wave that Brookes returned.

"Hey, Ed," Brookes said back. "Good morning, everyone," he added, glancing at the others in the room and saluting Mustang.

"What brings you by this early, Lieutenant-Colonel?" Mustang asked as he dismissed the salute.

"Edward mentioned he had his report ready. I came by to collect it and any others that might have been done before I headed to my office," Brookes told him.

Ed immediately rifled through his pockets while Mustang spoke. "I don't believe anyone else has written up their reports," he told Brookes.

"Actually, General, I wrote mine up last night," Hawkeye informed him as she handed a small but neat pile of papers over to Brookes, who took it once he'd managed to take Ed's slightly less organised stack.

"Ed helped us figure out how ours should be written so Shiro and I did ours up last night as well," Lance told them as he and Shiro held out their own reports. "I can help you with yours, Hunky, and Shiro can help you two," Lance said, looking at Keith and Pidge.

"If you don't wanna hang out here for however long it takes for them to do up their reports, we can drop them off to you on our way out," Ed offered when he realised Brookes was debating about whether he should wait for the rest of Voltron's and the team's reports or come back later.

Brookes gave him a grateful smile. "I'd appreciate that," he told Ed. "Once I have your reports, I can close the case and open a new one into Widdon and Combes," he said. Ed went to open his mouth but Brookes cut him off. "I was hoping to request Ed's help with that investigation, if that's alright by you, General Mustang?" Brookes asked the older alchemist.

Ed's golden eyes pinned Mustang with a look that just _dared_ him to try and stop him from helping Brookes. "I have no problems with Fullmetal assisting your investigation so long as both you and he understand that I can and will temporarily pull him from the investigation if a more important mission comes up," Mustang told Brookes. The look on Ed's face told Mustang that if he did do that, the mission had better be life or death or Ed would make his displeasure known in a big, messy, and likely expensive way.

Brookes nodded. "I understand. Thank you, General Mustang," Brookes said and Mustang gave him a nod. "I'll see you guys later this morning, I take it?" Brookes asked Ed, though he glanced at Al and Voltron as well.

"Yup," Ed confirmed. "You can tell me what your plans are for the Widdon and Combes investigation when we drop the last of the reports off," Ed told him.

Brookes gave a nod as he subconsciously shifted the papers in his arms a little. "Sounds like a plan to me," Brookes said. "I'll see you guys then," he said, nodding to the Elrics and Voltron before he looked back at the rest of the team. "If I don't see you for the rest of it, I hope you have a good day," he told them.

"You as well, lieutenant-colonel," Mustang said, dismissing the salute Brookes gave him. With a final wave and nods to the rest of the team, Brookes headed out of the office to get started with his day. "I think it'd probably be for the best if you guys got your reports finished at the same time as Keith, Pidge, and Hunk. That way Brookes can close the Lotor investigation and Fullmetal can start uncovering everything Widdon and Combes tried to hide sooner rather than later," Mustang said. His tone told everyone he was just as eager to see just what the two disgraced generals had been involved in as Ed obviously was.

"I'm sure everyone can manage that," Hawkeye said. Her tone told them all that they had no choice.

Mustang pretended to be oblivious to the undercurrent of threat in his captain's voice and the way the male members of his team – minus Ed – all nodded quickly in agreement. "I imagine I'll see the 12 of you at my home this afternoon," Mustang said, looking at the Elrics and Voltron.

Ed shrugged. "Probably. I think Pidge wanted to borrow my tablet so she could speak with her dad and brother and so we could speak to Allura and Miss Gracia's home won't fit all of us in there," he told him. Pidge nodded in confirmation.

"Don't destroy anything," Mustang said, looking like he was already mentally saying goodbye to many of his possessions.

"We won't," Al said before Ed could say anything in response. The younger blonde ignored the scowl he got from his brother as Mustang gave him a grateful nod.

"Thank you," Mustang said, deciding to place his trust in Al being able to stop Ed from destroying anything out of spite now. "Enjoy your practice," he said, nodding to Voltron as he moved towards his inner office with his paperwork.

"Have a good day, General Mustang," Shiro said. Mustang gave him a nod and a smile to show he heard his words before he disappeared into his inner office, likely knowing Hawkeye was only a few moments away from calling him out on purposefully stalling. "Come on, let's get your reports done," Shiro said, gesturing for the three humans who hadn't done theirs to sit around the empty desks. Not a single one of them looked excited about it but, to their credit, they didn't complain either.

"I'm gonna grab coffee from the mess," Ed said as he watched Havoc, Breda and Hawkeye hand over some blank papers and pens for Keith, Pidge, and Hunk to use. "Anyone want some?" he asked and found himself completely unsurprised when nearly every single person nodded. "Al, you need to help me," he told him.

"We'll be back," Al said as he followed Ed to the door, leaving the others to get started on their reports.

" _We're coming too,"_ Green informed Ed as she and her sisters got up and crowded around the two brothers.

"Sure," Ed said, knowing it would've been pointless to tell them not to bother, even if he had been going to. "We'll have the Lions with us, apparently," Ed said as he opened the outer office door to let the Lions and Al though it and into the hallway.

"Alright. We'll see you in a few minutes," Shiro said, shaking his head slightly in fond amusement at the Lions.

"Sure will," Ed said, giving him a grin before he shut the door, leaving those in the office to get to their paperwork in peace while he walked with his brother and the Lions to get his third cup of coffee for the morning.

* * *

"It's not much further now," Ed assured the group he was walking with as they headed up a small incline.

"Awesome," Hunk said, puffing slightly as he and Yellow kept pace with them all.

"We are definitely having a nap first," Lance said as he and Blue walked next to the Yellow pair.

Lance hadn't been very happy when he'd found out how far away the clearing was from the base but he had perked up enough when Al had suggested making a stop at a restaurant on the way to grab food and drinks so they could have an impromptu picnic for lunch before they did any training. Of course, that had meant it took them over an hour to reach this point in their walk but Ed hadn't raised any sort of fuss about it since the training was simply for fun rather than a matter of great importance. The Lions seemed to be enjoying the walk since it was the first time they were out of the base or place they were staying and weren't needing to concentrate on tracking Lotor since their second afternoon in Central.

"We're nearly there," Al repeated Ed's words, trying to reassure the Blue and Yellow Paladins. They nodded but didn't look awfully happy about the fact that they weren't where Ed was leading them right now.

Ed didn't blame them since it was a pretty long and tiring hike for anyone who wasn't used to Central's winding streets or the hilly landscape. Spotting a large, old, gnarled tree that Ed had mentally tagged as a landmark the first time Mustang and he had travelled this path, Ed spoke up. "It's only another two minutes away," Ed promised as they walked past the tree.

"You said it'd be good for everyone to use, right?" Shiro asked and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, it's pretty big so Keith won't have to worry about burning anything down too much. Your element can be used pretty much anywhere and the clearing is obviously suitable for Hunk to use," Ed told him. "It's got plenty of greenery for Pidge to utilise and there's a creek just on the edge of it for Lance," he explained. "Though not as much as Resembool, we've had enough rain in Central the last few months that Keith shouldn't be able to set anything on fire and even if he managed to do so, Al and I can handle it," Ed added.

"I'm sure that if it can handle you and Mustang having your lessons in there, it can handle me," Keith said, a smirk on his face when Ed levelled him with a heatless glare.

"You say that now but we'll see if you can say that after our fight," Ed said, somewhat cockily.

"How about we don't set the woods on fire?" Shiro suggested before Keith could snark back and they lose both him and Ed to their banter.

"I think that's a good idea," Al said, immediately backing Shiro up while the Lions nodded, even though they were still watching Keith and Ed with amusement.

" _It would be nice if we didn't have to explain to Mustang about why he and Ed will have to find a new practice area,"_ Blue commented casually, leaving Lance to repeat what she'd said out loud.

Ed went to say something when he spotted the small, well-hidden but well-trodden narrow path that Mustang had created over months of walking along it. "We head down here," Ed instructed before he turned left and headed down the path, making sure he weaved to the right to avoid the large fallen branch a few metres down the path that lay halfway on it.

The conversation died off as everyone chose to focus on where they were placing their feet, especially when Al nearly tripped over a loose stone he hadn't noticed. There was a small commotion caused when the group spotted a snake and Pidge had a small freak-out over it. The Green Lion had almost launched at the poor reptile in an effort to protect her human but Ed had managed to calm them both down by pointing out that it was tree snake and completely harmless. Pidge still hadn't looked happy and immediately put as much distance between herself and the snake before they continued on their way, grumbling about creepy reptiles as they walked. Ed did spot her hugging Green as best she could as they walked and Ed grinned at the Lion's mental version of a blush he felt through their bond.

"Alright, this is it," Ed said as they left the trees and stepped foot into the clearing that he and Mustang used for his flame alchemy lessons. The clearing was at least three times larger than the one Ed had fought Lotor in near Pinako's and there were some scorch marks from Ed's flame alchemy attempts. The small creek Ed had mentioned could be heard gurgling nearby by as the water ran downhill, the sound mixing with the singing notes from nearby birds and the leaves rustling gently from the slight breeze, creating a peaceful atmosphere. "Where do you -?" Ed started asking before he heard two dull thuds. Turning, he spotted Lance and Hunk making themselves comfortable in the shade of one of the large trees that lined the edge of the clearing. "I guess right there," Ed said dryly, causing everyone to chuckle even as they joined the two Paladins.

No one spoke as they focused their attention more on unpacking their lunches and devouring the food, having worked up an appetite after the long trek. The Lions weren't as hungry but that didn't stop them from nearly inhaling their lunches once their pilot had unpacked it for them. Ed was halfway through his first sandwich when he was asked a question. "So, what's the plan for Widdon and Combes now?" Pidge asked curiously.

Ed looked at her in confusion for a moment before he remembered that Al had volunteered to head to the Hughes' home to grab his tablet with Pidge and Green for company while Ed led the others to the restaurant they'd picked their lunch up from since Al had figured it would take him the time they were waiting for their orders to get the tablet. That had meant that those three had missed out on Ed filling everyone in on his conversation with Brookes before they'd left the base. "To start with, I won't be able to help out much," Ed told her, shrugging a shoulder. "I'll be too busy over the next two days helping Grumman with setting up where I defeated Father for the memorial service, since I did promise I would help, or spending time with people who are coming up to Central specially for the service," Ed said.

"However, once everything's been dealt with and the memorial service is over and everyone's gone home, Brookes will be giving me the leads he thinks should be investigated by me," Ed explained. "My reputation in Amestris makes it so most people will just tell me the information I'm looking for rather than playing dumb because it works out less painful for them and Brookes knows that when word gets out that the Fullmetal Alchemist is looking for dirt on two disgraced generals, people will flood his office with tips and information," he said, leaning back on his right arm. "My job will also be making sure that any alchemist or array we find during the investigation is dealt with as safely as possible," he added. "Other than that, I'll be helping go through everything Widdon and Combes did with the military to make sure they followed protocol to the letter. Our focus will be mainly on everything from before Promised Day since it's likely that they didn't hide any illegal activity as thoroughly under Bradley's reign as they have under Grumman's," Ed told them, speaking between bites of his sandwich, "and I'll help coordinate and run any raids needed," he added on, almost as an afterthought.

"So you're going to be busy for a few weeks," Pidge said, stuffing the last of her sandwich in her mouth.

Ed shrugged. "Well, they've been in the military for decades but I reckon that they probably won't be charged over a lot of stuff they've done before they became generals, unless it's something major like murder or treason," Ed told her. "Statute of limitations and all that," he said, "so it probably won't take us long to bring them up on all the charges we can. Plus, it's not like Brookes and I will be working the case by ourselves. We'll have his team and I can almost guarantee that Mustang will help. He wants to see them in jail as much as we do," he said, a smirk on his face.

"I can't imagine why," Shiro said dryly, causing most everyone to chuckle. Grinning at the reaction, he gave them a few moments to settle down before he clapped his hands together, getting their attention once more. "So, are you guys ready to train?" he asked and immediately received at least three groans.

"Shiro! We've just finished eating! Let us digest first!" Lance whined, lying down dramatically against Blue, who shifted slightly so both she and her pilot were a bit more comfortable.

"Yeah, come on, Shiro. You don't want us to have stomach aches because we were running around before we should be, do you?" Pidge asked as she stretched out against Green. There was a twinkle of shit-stirring in her eyes that disappeared when she shut them.

A sudden musical tone startled everyone before Shiro could say anything. Pidge shot back up straight while everyone else looked around for the source of the music. Ed was quick to realise it seemed to be coming from him and he frowned. "What the hell is that?" he asked, even as he started patting himself down. It almost reminded him of the BAU's and NCIS's cellphones from America but they didn't have anything like that here.

"Your tablet!" Pidge said, looking ready to launch herself at him but Ed was quicker, pulling his tablet out of his reinforced pocket and looking at it. "Tap the green button!" she instructed as she gestured for everyone else to follow her so they could gather behind Ed and Al.

Ed did as she said and gasped when he saw the familiar faces of Allura, Coran and the two remaining Holts. "Miss Allura? Coran?" Ed asked and got two blinding smiles in response.

" _Hello, Edward! It's so good to see you again!"_ Allura greeted while Sam and Matt waved and grinned at Pidge, who was all but hitting Ed in the head with her own wave.

" _Hello, young man!"_ Coran said jovially, twirling his orange moustache between his fingers as his eyes twinkled in delight. _"It truly is marvelous to see and speak to you without the Lions and their Paladins acting as messengers for us! Number Five certainly outdid herself, managing to connect your tablet to hers from your universe! It appears nothing can stop our Green Paladin from being able to perform technological marvels, not even being in a universe where technology barely exists!"_ Coran praised and Ed's grin matched Sam's and Matt's when they noticed Pidge's blush.

"It's really good to talk to you guys too," Ed said honestly before his golden eyes found the Holt's. "I hope the two of you are well, Dr Holt and Matt," he said.

" _We're doing well, Edward. Thank you for asking,"_ Sam said with a smile.

" _Yeah, it turns out that your little sister, her friends and the five most powerful weapons disappearing is a really good motivator to build an inter-dimensional teleduv,"_ Matt told him with a grin that only widened when Pidge's flush grew and she poked her tongue out at her brother. _"We thought we would call and tell you the good news,"_ he continued saying, seemingly ignoring his little sister and her antics.

"What good news?" Shiro asked, shifting closer to Ed as though trying to get closer to those on the tablet screen.

" _We've finished building the teleduv,"_ Allura told him, a smile on her face that started turning into a smirk as she heard their disbelieving gasps.

"Really? I thought Pidge and Black said it would be a few more days?" Ed asked, twisting his head to look at the two in question but Allura answered before they could do much more than shrug.

" _We got very lucky,"_ Sam revealed. _"The material we needed to help power the teleduv, the rare material I was talking with Katie about, is usually found on a planet that is exceptionally hostile to everyone and everything that's not native to it,"_ he told them.

Ed nodded in understanding. "They have something really rare and they probably got sick of people trying to pinch it all the time. I'd have become very hostile too," he said.

"You just enjoy fighting too much," Al teased, effectively gaining the attention of the two male Holts and the Alteans. He realised what the curious gazes meant at the same time Ed did. "I'm Alphonse," he introduced himself, giving them a wave.

" _Oh, you're Edward's little brother! Yes, I can see the family resemblance,"_ Allura said as she peered at Al. _"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alphonse,"_ she said with a polite smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you four as well," Al said, matching her polite tone with one of his own.

"Back to this rare material you were talking about," Pidge instructed, causing Shiro to sigh, Sam to look reprimanding and Matt to look rather proud.

" _Yes, of course. I apologise for allowing us to get off track. I'm sure you're risking a lot by answering our call while you aren't somewhere private,"_ Allura said, looking a little worried.

"Don't worry, Miss Allura," Ed told her. "The Lions have good hearing and not much can sneak up on me and Al," he said. "We'll be fine," he promised her and she seemed to relax, at least until Coran tapped her on the shoulder and drew her attention to something on his tablet.

Allura gave a small sigh before she nodded to Coran and faced them again. _"Coran and I need to attend to something in the control room and I doubt we'll be back before this call ends,"_ she told them. _"It was lovely being able to speak to you again, Edward, and it was really nice to meet you, Alphonse. Hopefully we will be able to speak in person shortly,"_ she said.

"It was good speaking to you again as well, Miss Allura. Good luck with whatever it is you have to deal with," Ed said with a smile.

"It was nice meeting you as well. I hope we can meet in person soon as well," Al said, a smile that matched Ed's on his face.

Coran waved at them cheerfully. _"Try not to get yourselves into any more trouble before we're able to bring you all home!"_ Coran said. _"I would rather not have to ready the cryopods for any of you immediately upon your return,"_ he told them, looking specifically at the Paladins and pinning them with a warning look.

"We'll do our best," Shiro promised. "We'll talk to you guys later. Stay safe," he said before the four other pilots echoed his words. Allura and Coran waved a final time before Coran led them out of view of the tablet's camera, leaving Sam and Matt by themselves to continue the conversation.

Sam decided to do just that before Pidge got too impatient. _"We contacted this planet and told them we were after some of this material and wanted to know what they would want in trade for it,"_ he told them. _"They replied pretty quickly, thankfully, and we were able to trade that same afternoon. We have enough of this material to power this teleduv for – theoretically – several phoebes, perhaps even deca-phoebs but we won't know until we've done the testing,"_ he explained.

"Months and years," Ed explained to Al in a whisper while Pidge asked Sam a question about the material and Al nodded in thanks.

" _It acts as the power source,"_ he told her. _"Much like the Balmeran crystal is for the Castle-Ship,"_ he explained, which received nods from several of them. _"However, unlike the Balmeran crystal, this one won't run constantly, even when the teleduv is turned off. What_ will _happen is that each portal will use a chunk of energy from the power source. We don't know how much each portal will use and we believe that the power drain will be larger the longer the portal is open, which means the energy will run out quicker and according to the planet the power source comes from, there's no known way to replace or recharge this power course. Once it runs out, that's it for this chunk,"_ Sam told them.

"So you'll have a limited number of uses for this power source but you don't know how many because the power source isn't something you've worked with before and you have no idea how much energy each portal will use?" Ed asked and Sam nodded.

" _That's exactly right,"_ Sam said, giving Ed a smile. _"Once we've run the tests and discovered how much energy each portal uses, we'll know the life-span for the power source. Of course, Allura will be monitored as well since her alchemy will be how we choose where the portal opens to so she has to keep the array active for as long as the portal is open. The energy drain for both the power source and Allura will ultimately decide how long the portal can realistically remain open for before it becomes too much for either of them,"_ he told them.

"So once you've figured that out, what happens?" Shiro asked.

" _We'll need to figure out if we can manipulate where the portal opens,"_ Matt told him. _"The only data we have is from the portal Lotor opened and Allura accidentally redirected,"_ he explained, _"and we know it opened up mid-air in Ed's universe. What we don't know is if that was because of the fact you guys were in space at the time or if because a portal will always open mid-air. If we can, we want to open it so that you guys can just walk back on to the Castle-Ship,"_ Matt told them.

"Well, the three times I visited a different dimension, the portal dropped me and Mustang a few metres above ground," Ed told Matt. "I don't know if that helps considering two out of those three times I was sent because of Truth and Truth is a dick who could've done that for shits and giggles," he said.

" _We'll keep that in mind,"_ Matt said, a small twitch of his lips the only sign of his amusement with the long-suffering sigh Al let out. _"Anyway, we thought we'd call to let you know that the machine is now ready for testing. We're hoping that it'll only take a quintet or two for us to get all the data we need and make any adjustments to the machine that it requires before we can bring you guys back,"_ Matt told them, looking mainly at Pidge as he spoke.

"Thanks for the update," Shiro said, "and thanks for working so hard to bring us home," he added gratefully.

" _It's not like we had a choice,"_ Matt said flatly, though there was a good-natured twinkle in his eye. _"Even if you guys weren't Voltron, do you really think I'm gonna go back home and try to explain to Mum that her daughter is still trapped in an alternate universe because we didn't try hard enough to get her back? I'd like to live long enough to see my thirties, thank you!"_

Pidge couldn't hold back her giggles. "Imagine surviving Zarkon and Haggar only to be killed by Mum because you couldn't figure out how to create a portal between dimensions," she joked.

" _I could just imagine her telling me that if Lotor managed to send you there, we should have been able to figure out how to get you back,"_ Matt said, snorting with laughter.

A series of beeps from somewhere in the background caught Sam's attention before he could berate his children for joking like that, even though he secretly agreed with them. _"It looks like we're ready to start testing the teleduv,"_ Sam explained before anyone could ask what the noise had meant. He turned back to face them on the tablet. _"We need to go,"_ he said, a little regretfully. _"We'll contact you soon and let you know an updated ETA on when we'll be able to open the portal to bring you home,"_ he told them.

"Alright," Shiro said, obviously not happy about not being able to talk with them any longer. "We'll hear from you soon," he said confidently and Sam gave him a nod.

" _You definitely will, though we'll make sure that you're alone before we call next time,"_ he promised and Ed couldn't stop the relieved sigh from escaping him. They'd gotten lucky this time and while Ed knew it wasn't likely since the tablet was always at Gracia's – unless no one was going to be home for a day or two – there was a slim chance that Ed could be in the middle of town the next time one of them tried calling his tablet and he didn't want that. It would cause a lot of uncomfortable questions to be asked and they'd managed to keep the fact that there were other dimensions and it was possible to travel to them hidden for nearly a year. Ed didn't want to break that streak. Sam gave him an understanding look. _"Goodbye everyone. Stay safe and look after each other,"_ Sam said before he looked at Pidge. _"Bye, Peanut."_

"Bye, Dad," Pidge said, a small flush on her cheeks from the nickname. "Bye, Nerd," she said to Matt, who rolled his eyes fondly.

" _Bye, Loser,"_ he said cheekily. _"See ya!"_

The round of goodbyes from the Paladins and Elric brothers lasted several seconds before they finally ended the video call and Ed could tuck his tablet back into its pocket. "Well, that was a lot of fun," Ed said. "Can I do that with all of your tablets or just yours at the moment?" he asked Pidge.

"Nah, it's connected to all of them," she told him as they all started moving a little further away from the alchemists so they weren't so crowded. "I just called mine the first time because I knew I'd left it in our lab and had hoped Dad or Matt were still in there and would answer it," she explained. "They probably used my tablet to call yours since they can unlock it and find the call in my call log," she commented as she stretched back out. "I'll show you how to connect to our tablets tonight," she promised and Ed nodded, happy with that.

The sound of a clap echoed slightly around them and they all looked to see Shiro and Black on their feet, looking both excited and determined. "Alright, we've had our rest," Shiro said, grinning when three groans could be heard as the three youngest Paladins obviously guessed what he was about to say next. "Let's get some training done!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is 27 for you all! If I haven't answered any inboxes, I will do so soon, I promise! I had surgery a few days ago and the anesthetic really messed with me. I've been pretty sleepy most of the time but I'm feeling better now so I will get around to replying to comments again :) I'll see you all next week and I look forward to seeing what you think of this chapter :D


	28. Chapter 28

Ed and Al were starting to consider sparring between themselves as they watched Voltron practicing with their elemental abilities. The only reason the brothers hadn't started sparring the moment Voltron had followed Shiro's instructions to start practicing was because the team had claimed almost the entire clearing for themselves to practice in. Ed could understand why; four of them really did need the space since they were working with water, earth, plants, and fire while Shiro could aim his moves skywards if he needed to so he didn't use as much of the field as the others. It was fascinating to watch the humans of Voltron utilising their elements without using alchemy. If Ed and Al were being honest, they were a little awed for the first few minutes to see the Paladins using something that they'd never seen done without an array or – in Izumi's, Ed's, and Al's cases at least – clapping to form a circle.

The Lions were helping their Paladins by offering suggestions on how to best utilise a move since their pilots were limited on how they could use their Lion's element. In Lance's case, Blue used ice rather than water so while he _was_ able to manipulate water, he had to turn it to ice quickly to further use it or he'd lose his hold on it. Pidge, on the other hand, could grow and manipulate surrounding plant life but she couldn't pull it back to how it was originally, something they'd soon discovered when she had a creeper vine snake out towards Hunk but couldn't shrink it back to its original size afterwards. Hunk was also limited in the way that he could create boulders or a similar structure to block or trap an attacker but he couldn't create things like spikes or hands, which Ed and Al used a lot during their fights, and he couldn't really manipulate the earth to chase his opponent, like Ed and Al could.

Keith and Shiro were the only ones who didn't seem to be limited with their elements, so far as Ed had seen at least. Keith certainly couldn't cause an explosion like Mustang or Ed could with flame alchemy but his flames were plenty hot enough, if the scorch marks left behind were any indication. Since Shiro was using the air, Ed couldn't technically see his moves unless they hit a tree or the grass around them. However, Shiro and Keith had obviously realised before that afternoon that they could team up and combine their attacks to create one attack that was far more devastating for their opponent. Ed and Al had been mildly impressed by the mini-fire tornado the two had caused when they saw it. Red and Black hadn't bothered to hide their pride in their pilot from Ed and the blonde almost chuckled at how much they seemed like proud parents in that moment.

"Everyone, take a break," Shiro ordered, pulling Ed and Al out of their bored stupor and bringing their attention back to Voltron. Absolutely no one complained, though Keith didn't look awfully happy, and they were soon surrounding the two blondes as they pulled out the water bottles they'd bought with their lunch and main drink. "How come you two weren't sparring against one another?" Shiro asked, obviously having noticed their boredom.

"You guys were pretty much using the entire field to practice and it is never a good idea for us to spar near people, especially people with abilities we've never seen in action, let alone fought against ourselves," Ed told him. "It'd have been one thing if you guys were using your bayards or sparring against one another but yeah, not a great idea when you're using your abilities," he said with a shrug.

Shiro frowned. "You saw Hunk's and Pidge's though," he said, raising a brow when Ed shook his head.

"No, Mustang and I left to find our own clearing before we could see anything," Ed reminded him. "This was the first time I saw any of your moves in actions," he said, nodding to the scarred and semi-destroyed field. "Not to mention that even if I had seen them, Al hasn't," he added.

" _So why couldn't you spar in the part of the field we weren't using?"_ Green asked curiously. _"There would've been room beyond Pidge and me that you could use,"_ she pointed out.

"Mainly because we didn't want to cause a distraction and have one of you accidentally injure yourselves or someone else," Ed said, "and partly because we've been told we can get a little destructive when we spar – depending on whether it's with alchemy or not – and we didn't want to lose sight of our surroundings and accidentally put ourselves in the path of one of your attacks," he told her.

"It would've had to be an alchemic and hand-to-hand fight for you to stand a chance at winning, Brother," Al said cheekily. Ed moved to swat him but growled as Al laughed when he moved out of range before the blow could connect.

"I will get you back for that," Ed swore, eyes narrowing in warning as Al continued to giggle.

"Have you seriously never won a fight against Al?" Lance asked Ed, sounding a little disbelieving, which Ed could somewhat understand. After all, Lance had never witnessed Al fighting with his own eyes so it would be easy for the Blue Paladin to think that Ed – as the older brother – would be the one who won their spars.

"Well, discounting any time from before Al was old enough to actually recognise my tells and predict what move I'd use next and any time where he was emotionally compromised and I needed to beat some sense back into him, no, I've never won a spar against him," Ed admitted, completely honestly. Lance looked shocked at the revelation.

"But even when we were kids and just started learning alchemy, Brother would always beat me when it came to alchemy, no matter whether it was a spar or to see who could transmute better," Al said, pride laced in his voice. "I've never won an alchemic match against him and that includes from before he could transmute physical material without clapping," he added.

"Is an alchemic spar what it sounds like?" Hunk asked curiously.

Ed screwed up his nose in thought. "Kinda," he said. "Remember mine and Mustang's spar on the Castle-Ship?" he asked and received several nods. "Well, that was pretty much an alchemic spar," he said. "In all honesty, a purely alchemic spar wouldn't have seen me or Mustang use any kind of typical weapon, like a blade or staff. So my automail blade and our staffs shouldn't have been used if we were fighting just with alchemy, despite the fact that I used alchemy to create mine," he told them. "I would've likely aimed to end that spar in my favour by trapping Mustang with alchemy or securing him, much like I did with Combes and Widdon, had we agreed on an alchemic spar," he explained.

"Oh, that makes sense," Hunk said, nodding subconsciously at his own words.

"Well, we'd hate for you two to be bored while we're practicing so how about you join us for our spar now?" Shiro offered, earning himself two raised brows from the brothers. "I think everyone would rather go up against the two of you now rather than facing you after sparring against one another," Shiro said. The four younger Paladins nodded emphatically with his words, which caused the two blondes to chuckle at them.

Ed and Al glanced at one another before they nodded. "Let's do it," Ed said with an eager grin that matched Al's.

"Why don't the two of you get ready while we finish our break? We'd like the chance to come up with a battle strategy against you," Shiro said. The glint in his eyes told the boys and other pilots just how keen he was for them to test their abilities against the pair.

"Sounds good to me," Ed said as he and Al got to their feet. "Get one of the Lions to tell me when you lot are ready," he instructed. Shiro nodded in agreement before Ed and Al headed away from them, putting several metres between the groups before the boys came to a stop where they wouldn't be overheard by human or Lion. Apologising to them, Ed placed a block on his bonds with the Lions so they couldn't overhear him before he and Al started stretching. "So, what kind of plan do you have?" he asked his little brother.

"Well, I noticed the Paladins have some limitations we don't when it comes to manipulating their elements," Al said immediately and Ed nodded in agreement. "The only elements we can't really use are fire and air, since you promised you wouldn't use flame alchemy outside of lessons unless it was life or death and neither of us have developed an array that uses the air," he said, straightening from a stretch. "That means Keith and Shiro will be the ones we'll have to get creative about stopping. Everyone else we can handle by countering their move with one of our own," Al told him.

"I agree," Ed said as he pulled his left arm across his chest, resting it in the crook of his right elbow and stretched. "Keith and Shiro can combine their elements so I think they should be stopped as soon as possible. I want you to focus primarily on Pidge though," Ed said as he dropped his left arm once more. "Out of the two of us, you're better with botanical alchemy and she can create hazards for us so she needs to be dealt with quickly as well," he explained quickly before Al could protest.

"Oh, that's a good idea. I didn't think of her using her element to make hazards rather than straight up attacking us," Al admitted and Ed ruffled his hair.

"That's why you've got me," he said with a grin that grew at Al's annoyed growl. "Hunk's pretty restricted in his moves. It doesn't look like he can create much more than boulders to stop someone but he can manipulate the earth to trap something. You see what he did to that vine Pidge tried to grab him with?" Ed asked and Al nodded.

"Yeah, he managed to encase it," Al said, recalling the memory. A flicker of realisation crossed Al's face. "Pidge couldn't manipulate the vine after he'd done that!" Al exclaimed and Ed nodded.

"It was like once she lost sight of the vine, she couldn't direct it anymore," Ed told him. "That could be something you can use to your advantage," he said and Al nodded. Ed knew his brother would be filing that piece of information away for his battle against the Green Paladin.

"Brother, what about Lance?" Al asked, a small frown of concern on his face. "He can turn the water into ice and I can't remember learning about an array that can turn ice back into water for you to use," he said, a touch of worry in his voice. While the boys could draw the moisture out of the air and freeze it – much like the Freezing Alchemist they'd gone up against could – they hadn't learned how to unfreeze ice and turn it back into water.

"I think I have an idea on how to do that," Ed admitted. "I spent a bit of time while we were watching them practice trying to see if I could come up with an array that could feasibly work so I'll test it on him and see how we go. If it doesn't work, the backlash shouldn't be too bad and I'll deal with him another way," Ed said, shrugging his shoulder.

"I'd rather you draw the array out before you use it, Brother. You know it gives you more time to realise whether the array is going to work or rebound if you do and you might avoid a rebound completely that way," Al said, causing Ed to sigh but nod slightly.

"If I get the opportunity to do so, I'll draw it out before I use it," Ed agreed. Al seemed to be mollified by his answer and they finished up their stretching. "So, you get to take on Pidge while I focus on Hunk and Lance but we both agree that we need to deal with or at the very least separate Shiro and Keith so they can't combine their attacks, right?" Ed asked as he shrugged off his trademark red jacket and, after a moment, did the same with his black jacket so his tablet wouldn't get damaged and so he would be less likely to be caught by his jacket.

"Agreed," Al said as he removed his brown jacket and, at his brother's gesture, handed it to Ed.

" _Are you two ready?"_ Black asked the moment Ed brought down the block.

"Just about," Ed told her as he headed to the side of the clearing and placed his and Al's jackets next to a tree, ensuring they wouldn't be damaged where they were. "Can you ask Shiro whether it's just going to be alchemy v. elements or are we going to throw some hand-to-hand in there?" Ed requested.

Black was quick to comply and came back with an answer almost immediately. _"Right now, he says it's just alchemy v. elements. He wants them to focus on using their elements rather than trying to win with combat,"_ she explained and Ed nodded.

"I'll let Al know," he promised, something he was able to do almost immediately since he was already closing the distance between the two of them. "Just alchemy, no close combat or traditional weapons," he told Al once he'd joined back up with his brother as the Paladins quickly moved into the field. "Ready?" he asked as they watched the Paladins move.

As the Elric brothers had thought would happen, Lance was as close to the creek as he could be while Pidge was as far away from Lance as possible so she wouldn't be in his way while Shiro and Keith were as close together as possible without making it look intentional. Hunk was standing a little behind the group and the brothers knew it was so he could keep an eye on everything and offer protection without being in someone's way. It appeared the Lions wouldn't be joining in on the fight and quick check with them confirmed Ed's suspicions. They would be offering moral support and suggestions to their pilot but they wouldn't be joining in the fight since Shiro thought ten against two was pretty unfair.

"Ready," Al said, taking a few steps away from Ed and shifting into his fighting stance.

Ed mimicked his brother and slipped into his own fighting stance. "We're ready," Ed told the Lions, knowing Shiro would likely have one of them call it. He was proven right when Shiro first checked with his team before he nodded to Black, who was immediately back in Ed's mind.

" _Three seconds,"_ Black warned and Ed got Al's attention by putting up three of his fingers in a silent countdown, noting that Shiro was doing the same thing. _"Three, two, one!"_

The moment Black finished speaking, the Paladins attacked first. Shiro was quick to force Ed and Al further apart by sending a large gust of wind at them that the boys could only track from the way the grass under it rippled. They both dived to the side, rolling into a forward tumble and launching their own attacks as quickly as possible. Ed sent a wave of spikes, aiming for Keith in order to try and get him to dodge away from Shiro. The Red Paladin did exactly what Ed had hoped since he didn't want to end up impaled by a stone spike however his retaliatory strike was aimed for Al, who was closer to him and seemingly focused on Pidge, who was directing half a dozen vines towards the younger Elric.

A spear of ice narrowly missed Ed's face and drew his attention effectively back to Lance, who was calling upon more water from the creek. Utilising the skills beaten into him by Izumi, Ed was quick to draw out his array in a bare patch of dirt by using another array to do so. When Lance next sent his ice attack, furthered by Shiro's aid in making the ice come at Ed quicker, Ed placed his hands on the array and activated it the moment the ice spear was over the array. However, Ed was forced to release the array when he had to dive out of the way of the spear, something he wasn't happy about but he was quick to move on by slamming his hands on the ground and making the earth ripple like water, trying to unbalance the two in front of him. Unfortunately, Hunk was quick to counter his attack and the earth soon settled before Shiro or Lance could be unbalanced.

Years of honing his instincts was the only reason Ed felt the oncoming attack from Hunk and he was quick to dodge out of the way of one of the earthen hands reaching for him. However, it seemed as though Hunk had figured out which way he would dodge because the second hand managed to grab his left wrist in a bruising grip before he could do anything. Apparently they'd been wrong about what Hunk could create. He heard Lance's praising call of Hunk's name and the worried call of his own from Alphonse but Ed was quick to use his free hand to get himself out of the grip with Scar's array before Hunk could grab it. There were two highly disappointed groans that caused Ed to grin but he was quick to move out of the way, just in case Hunk tried that trick again.

"Good try," Ed said, nodding to Hunk before he slammed his hands back onto the ground and sent a wave of earth at Hunk, knocking him down before the Yellow Paladin could react. "Better luck next time," he said with a smirk as he clapped. His smirk only grew when he saw the mix of curious and wary expressions on his opponents faces.

* * *

Al breathed a sigh of relief even as he created an earthen wall to block one of Pidge's vines when he saw Ed escape Hunk's earthen grip. He pulled his focus off his brother once more so neither Pidge nor Hunk could take advantage of his distraction and just in time. Al was forced to dodge to the side to avoid a stream of fire from the Red Paladin. No sooner had he gotten to his feet was Al forced to once again defend himself, this time against a mass of thorny branches from a nearby blackberry bush that Pidge had gotten control of. Seeing the Red Paladin ready himself for another attack, Al had a thought strike him and he was quick to put his plan into effect.

Taking a couple of quick steps forward as though he was going to attack Pidge, Al almost grinned when Keith attacked first, obviously trying to protect his teammate but unknowingly doing exactly what Al wanted him to do. Throwing himself backwards, Al flipped once, twice before he was back on his feet and grinning as the blackberry bush's vines caught fire. A sudden gust of wind sent the flames rushing up the vines, destroying the bush entirely and Al looked over to see a shocked Shiro and smug Ed, who was standing in front of a curved earthen wall. It took Al only a moment to realise that Shiro had attacked Ed in the same moment Keith had attacked Al but his brother had obviously decided to use the attack to help Al by creating the curved wall to redirect Shiro's attack rather than block it completely.

"Don't say I never do anything for you!" Ed called as he hit the wall with a palm and sent a volley of small rocks at the three he was facing off against. Al winced as a few connected since he knew Ed would've sent them with enough force to bruise any soft flesh they hit.

"Yeah, yeah!" Al called back as he clapped and slammed his hands onto the ground in front of him, causing alchemic energy to spark through the grass.

Pidge missed being grabbed by the rapidly growing grass by inches and Al abandoned the attack in order to block the next flame attack from Keith. An excited whoop from his brother had Al looking over and almost giggling when he saw the rather displeased look on Lance's face. The feeling of something touching his leg had Al stepping out of the grip of a creeper vine before it could latch onto him properly and forced him to trap it in the earth to cut Pidge's connection with it off. The move caused the Green Paladin to growl loud enough for Al to hear her and his attention went back to his own fight, knowing he'd get the play-by-play from his brother later.

* * *

The reason for Ed's clap soon became apparent when he started trying to draw the moisture out of the air. A flash of fire to his left told him Keith had just struck at his brother but Ed's focus was on his array. He was forced to abandon it when Shiro went to attack him and a quick glance at Al told Ed exactly what he needed to do. Slamming his hand into the ground, he created a curved wall that redirected Shiro's attack and sent it at the burning blackberry bush, causing the flames to devour the plant quicker than they would've by themselves. Trading some banter with Al, Ed went back to the still-drawn array near him and – once he'd sent some earthen hands to distract the three Paladins he was facing – Ed gave the array a quick once-over. Spotting a few things he could change to increase the array's response time, he did so, using the same array he'd used to etch the array on the ground in the first place.

Just as the last alchemic spark disappeared from the newly etched array, Lance sent a stream of ice for Ed. Wasting no time, Ed slammed a hand onto the array and watched in delight as it glowed, turning the ice trapped above it into water before his eyes. He couldn't keep the excited whoop at his array's success quiet and, once he saw Lance's face, it was followed by an amused chuckle. Knowing the array would drop the ice-turned-water the moment he deactivated the array, Ed was quick to clap once more and reach for the water before it could merge with the earth.

Manipulating the water, Ed spun on his heel and sent it straight for Keith, who wasn't able to dodge it in time. Shiro had tried to divert the water with an air attack but Al had seen the tells that betrayed Shiro's actions and sent an earthen wall that Hunk couldn't stop in time to block Shiro's attack. Keith's unimpressed look put Lance's to shame and Ed knew he'd likely have to watch his back around the Red Paladin for a little while. In truth, he had no idea if soaking Keith would stop his flames like it did Mustang but it worth a try and, in Ed's defense, he was fairly certain the Paladins would rather find out during a friendly spar than on the battlefield with an actual enemy if they didn't already know.

Hunk tried to use Al's wall as cover for his actions but Ed saw Al move out of the way of the small structure Hunk tried to trap him inside. In a retaliatory strike, Ed sent an earthen attack similar to the one Hunk had used on him earlier. Just like Ed did, Hunk managed to move so one of his wrists weren't caught but, unlike Hunk, Ed was able to move the second hand after Hunk dodged it and grabbed the Yellow Paladin before he could free himself, effectively trapping him until one of his teammates was able to free him or the match was called and one of the brothers released the earthen manacles.

Lance took exception to his best friend being grabbed and sent a volley of spikes that reminded Ed of Zampano's ability, just with ice. He nearly dodged all of them successfully but one did manage to catch his side as he moved, cutting through his skin. Ed ignored the stinging pain as he clapped and captured the next round of ice spikes in his reverting array. Rather than dumping the water onto someone, Ed chose to keep it with him, molding the water into whips for him to strike out with. The first strike was aimed at Lance, forcing the Blue Paladin away from the creek he was drawing water from so that Ed could see if the distance would make things harder for him. The second strike was turned into a shield to block the flames from Keith, answering Ed's question about whether soaking Keith would prevent him from using his ability.

Ed could feel Yellow's worry and encouragement towards Hunk, trying to support him in figuring a way out of his predicament while his teammates kept Ed and Al busy. However, it became obvious how much their plan had depended on Hunk there to act as back up because Al was quickly able to encase Keith in an earthen cube, much like the one Ed had used on Thomas Harding, minus the murderous alchemist and fireball. With Keith and Hunk now out of the picture, Shiro, Lance and Pidge were struggling to try and find ways to use their abilities to defend themselves and free their trapped teammates. Red wasn't happy with Al trapping her pilot but she was also too busy trying to give Keith tips to get out of it safely to be truly mad with Alphonse.

Ed's remaining water whip – the other having evaporated in Keith's last attack – wrapped itself around Pidge's waist and pulled her off her feet, giving Al the opportunity to encase three-quarters of her body, hands included and stopped her from being able to connect with the plant-life, effectively stopping her. A strong gust of wind sent both Ed and Al flying backwards, causing Ed to let go of the water he was still manipulating and slamming them in the ground. They rolled for a few feet before they managed to bring themselves to a stop. The minor cut on Ed's side didn't appreciate the rough movements and Ed allowed his displeasure to show in the hissed groan he let out.

The brothers didn't hesitate the moment they were on their feet, however. Running straight for the two remaining Paladins before they could try and free their fellows, Ed sent two pillars at the two of them, forcing them to separate so they wouldn't be able to watch each other's back as effectively. While Ed did that, Al called up the iron in the earth and caught Shiro's prosthetic wrist and pulled him to his knees while Ed sent an earthen hand to capture Shiro's free one, leaving them with just Lance to deal with. Ed could feel both Black's and Green's encouragement aimed at their Paladin's as well as Blue's cheering for Lance.

Though it was two against one and both Ed and Al were formidable opponents, Lance didn't make it easy for them to win the sparring match. It was obvious he and Blue had been practicing with Lance's abilities often since he seemed to have quite a bit more control over his attacks than the others had. He was even able to stop an attack before it landed and redirect it if the brothers dodged the first one. His aim with an ice spear proved to be just as good as his aim with his rifle but, unlike his rifle's bullets, the spears weren't so quick that the brothers didn't have the time to react to them.

At first, Ed and Al stuck together, defending one another as the other brother launched an offensive attack but it was quickly apparent that they needed to split up, which they did. With his attention split between two people who now had a significant distance between them, Lance quickly found himself in trouble as he tried to keep both brothers in his sight while attacking them and defending himself. While Ed acted as the bait, keeping Lance's attention on himself, Al managed to get out of Lance's eyesight and trapped him in much the same way Pidge was, securing his arms to his side so he couldn't move his hands and get control over some more water.

"I think it's pretty clear this spar has ended in your favour," Shiro said, tugging fruitlessly at his binds. "Mind letting us go?" he asked, looking over at the brothers, who were now side-by-side once more.

"What do you think, Brother?" Al asked, pretending to contemplate it. Shiro's flat gaze made the questioning hum Ed let out worth it.

"Yeah, might as well. We do need to be back at Miss Gracia's before dark and we probably shouldn't leave them out here overnight," Ed said, a shit-stirring grin on his face as Shiro's glare intensified.

Al nodded in agreement as he clapped and, in one perfectly synchronized move, both brothers crouched and recalled the earth they'd used to trap everyone else. Ed was quicker than Al in manipulating the iron securing Shiro's prosthetic and with that, the five humans were free once more. Keith's unimpressed scowl was still on his face as Al pulled down the walls that had him trapped and Ed was suddenly very grateful for the fact there were several people in between him and the Red Paladin.

"I suppose I should apologise for soaking you?" Ed offered, wincing a little at the damp clothing Keith still wore. "Though, in my defense, I wasn't sure if dumping water on you would stop you from being able to produce a flame. It does with Mustang," Ed said, shrugging a little.

"Well, it doesn't for me," Keith informed him, still looking mad. "Lance found that out in our first sparring session," he said, glare moving to Lance when the Blue Paladin laughed at the memory.

"Wait, how is that possible? I thought Lance couldn't manipulate water," Al asked, looking confused about it and he wasn't the only Elric who was.

"I can't," Lance confirmed once he stopped giggling. "However, Keith didn't know how hot his flames could get so he tried to defend against my attack with a half-arsed one of his own. Instead of turning it to steam, he turned my ice into warm water and got an unplanned shower," he told them, his laughter starting back up again.

"Lesson learned, huh?" Ed said, getting an almost sulky nod from Keith in response. "Do you want me to dry your clothes?" he asked, eyeing the wet jacket, shirt and pants with a sympathetic look.

"No, I pretty much dried them accidentally when Alphonse trapped me," Keith told him. "They're still damp but not soaking anymore," he explained when Ed eyed him with a disbelieving look.

"How'd you manage that?" Hunk asked curiously.

"Red was trying to help me figure out how much power I'd need behind an attack to blow out the wall and I used a flame to try and see if I could figure out how thick the walls were," Keith explained. "Al made that structure too well. The flame I was using heated up the inside of it pretty quickly and it evaporated a lot of the water. I got lucky that Al didn't make it airtight because I would've burned through the oxygen pretty quickly," he told them, a touch of sheepishness around his features when Shiro pinned him with an exasperated look.

Pidge stormed over and glared at the two brothers, effectively getting Shiro's attention off Keith since he thought he was going to have to stop the Green Paladin from launching herself at the Elrics. "I can't believe you two took the five of us down so easily!" Pidge said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "And what's even stupider is that I can't believe I'm surprised! I've seen Ed fight before and he did say you were his equal so why am I so surprised?!" she asked Al rhetorically, voice nearly a shout and both Elrics flinched back from her slightly.

Ed was not impressed with the laughter he could hear in his mind and he made sure his displeasure was evident in the glare he sent the Lions way. "Like you wouldn't have done the same thing," he muttered at them as they came over to join their humans.

" _You may have a point. Pidge can be ruthless when she's angry,"_ Yellow said as she joined Hunk and fussed over his wrists.

Yellow's actions seemed to spark the medic side to Lance as he immediately started eyeing all of them critically. "Did anyone get hurt during the fight?" he asked, eyes flicking from them to his bag sitting next to their rubbish from lunch.

"No, I'm fine. Nothing really hit me with enough force to do anything other than bruise," Shiro said, looking at Ed, who shrugged innocently.

"I'm good too," Ed claimed while the others echoed their words.

" _I can smell blood,"_ Blue informed Lance, though Ed heard it too which meant Ed only had a few seconds to own up to being the source of the scent before Blue ratted him out.

"Fine. I got a scratch but it's minor and it's fine," Ed told them, glaring heatlessly at the Blue Lion, who looked remarkably unphased by the glare.

"Brother, we've talked about this!" Al said exasperatedly.

Ed rolled his eyes at him but before he could reiterate his words, he found himself having to fend off Lance when he tried to find the injury. "Dude, seriously, I'm fine!" Ed told him, trying to keep him at arm's length, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Your definition of minor and everyone else's – except maybe Keith's – are very different," Lance informed him, ignoring the strangled protesting noise Keith made.

Al didn't bother hiding his snort of laughter when, after a few seconds of having a stare-off, Ed crumpled under Lance's glare and lifted the right side of his shirt so Lance could look at the injury, something the Blue Paladin did immediately while Ed flipped his brother off. It only took a few seconds for Lance to come to a conclusion about the injury and he backed off pretty quickly. Ed wasn't the only one to notice the action.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Ed said, a note of gloating in his voice as he lowered his shirt once more.

Lance rolled his eyes in tandem with most of the others. "Yes, it is a minor injury. I'll clean it out and put some speedy healer on it but it doesn't need anything else done to it," Lance told him, already walking towards his bag so that Ed couldn't stop him.

His movement seemed to spark something in Al and the younger Elric headed away from the group, earning himself several confused looks from Ed and the remaining Paladins, at least until Ed realised where Al was heading. "He's grabbing our jackets," Ed explained when he realised the others still looked a little confused.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't want to leave those behind, especially since your tablet's in one of them," Pidge said as the confusion cleared from her face.

"Yeah, wouldn't do me any favours if someone found our jackets and the tablet and started asking questions," Ed said as Lance made his way over. "Changing the subject but I have a question about your abilities," he told them and Shiro nodded for him to continue. "I noticed that you guys seem unable to manipulate your element when your hands are covered and, in Pidge's case at least, that if you lose sight of your element, you can't control it anymore. Is that right?" he asked as Al rejoined them. The younger blonde had obviously caught the tail end of Ed's question because he was looking intrigued.

"Yeah, we've noticed that too," Pidge told him before anyone else could speak. "For those four, it's not much of an issue unless Lance or Hunk can't physically see or feel their element nearby. Air is pretty much everywhere so Shiro doesn't have that problem and, as you undoubtedly noticed, Keith can produce the fire himself, though he can manipulate flames from an already lit fire if it's nearby," she told them. "We're not sure why we can't use our element if we lose sight of it but it happens. It's kind of infuriating for me because I knew that vine Al covered was under the earth he covered it with but because I couldn't physically _see_ it, I lost my connection with it and couldn't use it anymore," she said, a slight scowl on her face.

"So if I had put an earthen wall up around all of us, Lance wouldn't have been able to use the creek and you would've been restricted to the grass?" Ed asked, lifting his shirt up once more before Lance even asked.

Pidge nodded. "Yup," she told him. "Though Hunk would've tried to figure out a way through the wall so we would've had access from that point," she added. Hunk nodded emphatically, as though worried they thought he wouldn't have.

"I'll remember that for next time," Ed said, flinching slightly from the unexpected sting of the disinfectant Lance was using, something that immediately garnered an apology from the Cuban that Ed dismissed just as quickly. "So is that it for your practice or do you guys wanna keep going?" Ed asked as Lance switched the disinfectant for the healing goop.

Shiro shook his head. "Normally we might've broken off into pairs for some sparring but I think we should call it a day," he told them. "We've still got to get back to Mustang's and I know a lot will be happening tomorrow so it's probably for the best to not overdo it today," he said before anyone could protest.

Ed sighed slightly. "You're probably right," he admitted as Lance nodded to him to let him know he was finished patching him up. "We'll have Teacher arriving tomorrow and it's highly likely she's gonna beat me and Al into bloody pulps after the meeting with Grumman," he said casually.

"She might wait until after the memorial," Al said hopefully. "She probably wouldn't want us too be so injured that we couldn't attend the memorial service, especially after she hears about all the hard work Fuhrer Grumman has put into it," he told Ed, who nodded slowly at his words.

"You're right," Ed said. "Teacher isn't one to ruin something as important as the memorial service because she couldn't wait an extra day to kick our arses. Plus, she might be too tired after the train trip in from Dublith and having to sit through the meeting to do anything to us," Ed said, a spark of hopefulness of his own in his voice.

" _You know we're gonna have to witness your spar with your teacher, right?"_ Black asked, obviously beating Shiro in doing so, if the annoyed expression on the Black Paladin's face was any indication.

"Yeah, we know and you're definitely welcomed to do so, providing you guys are still here to watch it," Ed told her after repeating the question to Al so his brother wasn't completely out of the loop.

" _Very good,"_ Red said, her tail twitching in excitement at the idea of meeting someone as formidable as Izumi. Ed just hoped the Red Lion was merely looking forward to seeing the fight and not watching him and Alphonse get their arses kicked in retribution for what they did to Keith during this sparring match.

"Well since we're not going to be doing anything else here today, why don't we head to General Mustang's so that we can tell him about what Princess Allura and Doctor Holt told us?" Al suggested as he handed Ed his two jackets now that his older brother was no longer being fussed over by Lance.

Ed shrugged on his jackets, wincing slightly as the cut pulled a little but he covered it up by turning it into a grimace at his brother's idea. "I suppose we probably should. We will need to tell Grumman about what they told us and it'll stop Mustang bitching us out for not telling him first," Ed said with a sigh that had Al rolling his eyes and the three youngest Paladins chuckling.

"Sounds like a good idea all around," Shiro said before Ed and Al could start snarking at one another, as they clearly were about to do. "Let's go clean up our things and start heading back to Mustang's," Shiro instructed, not ashamed to admit that he did inject a bit of his leader voice – as the younger three Paladins called it – into his tone in an effort to get them to listen without complaint.

"Yeah, alright," Ed said with another sigh that again had Al rolling his eyes.

Shiro saw Ed puff up slightly at his little brother and couldn't help but let a sigh of his own out as he led the group over to where they'd had lunch so they could clear up their rubbish. Black gave him a sympathetic look as the two brothers started sniping barbed comments at one another, despite Shiro's earlier attempts while Lance and Pidge egged them on. It took everything in Shiro to ignore the rest of his group since it was obvious that Keith and Hunk were also encouraging the snarking blondes, albeit silently, rather than facepalm like he wanted to.

* * *

When Mustang walked through his front door after finishing up his day at work, he was completely unsurprised to find the entirety of Voltron and both Elrics sitting in his loungeroom, empty coffee cups within arms' reach of each person. "Comfortable?" he drawled as he set his coat and cover on the hooks on the wall next to his front door, one of which was already occupied by a familiar red jacket, and toed his boots off, placing them next to the seven pairs that were lined up against his wall.

"Exceptionally," Ed said from where he lay against Green. The Lions all looked over at Mustang while their humans grinned at the man, offering half waves in greeting.

"Wonderful," Mustang said as he walked past them. "You'd better have left me some coffee, Fullmetal," he told him as he headed for his kitchen.

"I am not that much of an arsehole that I'd drink all of your coffee and not replace it," Ed informed him haughtily as Mustang disappeared into his kitchen.

Mustang chose not to comment on that as he made himself a cup, pleased to find he still had plenty of coffee left and that the water was still hot in the kettle. Once it was made, he headed back into the loungeroom and found that Lance had shifted so he was no longer on the couch with Blue leaning against his legs but was now next to Ed with Blue laying on both their laps and looking utterly pleased about it.

Mustang nodded to the Blue Paladin in thanks as he sat in the now-empty space and took a sip from his coffee. "So is there a reason that all of you are still here?" Mustang asked, savouring the taste of his own coffee after a long day of surviving on the sludge the base insisted was coffee.

"Of course there is," Ed told him as he scratched in between Green's shoulder blades, something that made the aforementioned Lion almost purr in pleasure. "Miss Allura contacted my tablet while we were in the clearing," Ed said.

"I hope that clearing managed to survive you lot. The next closest one suitable for our lessons is another kilometre further in the woods," Mustang said before he addressed the more important topic. "What did Princess Allura have to say?" he asked.

"First off, yes, the clearing is fine. A blackberry bush didn't survive and there're new scorch marks courtesy of Keith but Al and I fixed any damage done to the ground before we left," Ed told him, his tone making it known that he thought Mustang was stupid for assuming they wouldn't have left the clearing in useable condition. "Secondly, Miss Allura didn't speak to us for very long. She and Coran had to go and sort something out in the control room," Ed told him.

"My dad and Matt were the ones we spoke to," Pidge said before Mustang could say anything. "They managed to barter for the energy crystal they needed to power the teleduv. They're running tests on it as we speak so they know how long they can keep a portal open for without draining the crystal and Allura too much and where the portal will even open but it shouldn't take them more than a couple of days to get enough data for them to give us an approximate time and place for when they'll try and bring us back," she told him.

"How will they contact us to let us know?" Mustang asked, a touch of worry showing through his normally impeccable mask.

It only took a moment for Ed to realise why Mustang would be worried. "Pidge taught me how to send a message to her tablet from mine and we told everyone on the Castle-Ship that we'd appreciate it if they waited until after the memorial service to take Voltron back so they didn't accidentally start a mass panic when ten diplomatic guests disappeared without a word," Ed told him, internally grinning in victory when Mustang seemed to relax. "Miss Allura promised they wouldn't do anything of the sort until we'd okayed a portal opening up in Amestris," he said.

"Good," Mustang said. "I don't think any Amestrian would appreciate something we wouldn't have a ready explanation for – like a portal opening up – happening on the anniversary of Promised Day," he said wryly and both Ed and Al nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of the anniversary, when is the meeting to discuss the ceremony?" Ed asked, causing both Mustang and Al to look unsurprised that Ed didn't know.

"Fuhrer Grumman has arranged for the meeting to start at noon tomorrow. That way, those who are needed for it but had to travel in on trains will be able to be present for it," Mustang told him.

"I think Scar's and Teacher's trains will be in by eleven tomorrow," Ed said, looking at Al, who nodded in agreement. "Who else needs to catch a train up?" he asked.

"The chimeras who assisted us in the tunnels and against the Bradley-rejects will be in by ten tomorrow morning," Mustang said and Ed felt a spike of guilt roil through him. Though he stayed in contact with Darius and Heinkel in the way of monthly letters - just as Al did for Zampano and Jerso -, he'd forgotten that they'd be part of the memorial service because they'd never stepped foot into Central or any town larger than Resembool since they'd left Central once they'd recovered enough to do so. Ed hadn't known Grumman had received replies from them saying that they would be attending the memorial service. "Lieutenant-General Armstrong arrived today in order to attend the meeting and memorial service. I believe her family intercepted her at the train station and she was required to join them for dinner tonight so she couldn't linger at Central Command but she has made it known that she expects to meet our diplomatic guests at the first available opportunity," Mustang informed them.

"I am completely unsurprised at that news," Ed said, absentmindedly scratching Blue's ears. "Once we've met Scar, Teacher and Sig at the train station, we'll head into Central Command and she can meet them before the meeting," Ed said decisively. "Who else will we be waiting for at the train station?" Ed asked.

"No one," Mustang said. "Everyone else needed at the meeting either arrived today via train or will be arriving tomorrow by other means," he told him.

Ed looked mildly surprised but didn't push the subject. "Cool," Ed said before he looked at Al, Shiro, Lance, Blue and Black. "Well, if there's nothing else we need to talk about before the meeting, we're gonna leave before we're late for dinner," Ed said, looking at Mustang expectantly.

"No, I don't believe anything else needed to be spoken about," Mustang told him. "Don't be late for the meeting, Fullmetal."

"I already told you, Bastard. I'm never late for important meetings," Ed said, flapping a hand at him dismissively as Blue got off both him and Lance so they could stand up.

"Every meeting you're told to attend is important," Mustang informed him.

"That's what you think," Ed shot back even as Al tried to get him to not bite back. "I can recall several meetings you called that were just an excuse to get out of your paperwork," he informed him.

"I have never done that!" Mustang protested and earned himself the flattest look he'd ever gotten, not just from Ed but from Al as well.

"Do you really want me to list the times you have, in fact, done that? Because I will," Ed told him. Al looked like he was ready to remind Ed of any times he forgot while the majority of Voltron looked like they really wanted a bowl of popcorn in front of them.

"That won't be necessary," Mustang finally said, earning himself several snorts from those witnessing the discussion.

"That's what I thought," Ed said, a smirk on his face that had Mustang glower at him. Ed paid him no notice as he waved goodbye to the three Paladins who were staying there for the night and gave the three Lions who weren't joining him scratches behind their ears. "We'll see you tomorrow. Let me know when you leave here so we can meet up before you get to the base," Ed instructed and received six nods in response.

"Behave yourselves," Shiro ordered, not looking affected by the pout he received from the three Lions and Pidge in response. Ed's encouraging grin went either unnoticed or was ignored by the Black Paladin as they headed for the front door.

"Let one of the Lions here know that you got back to Gracia's safe," Mustang said as he watched the four humans pull their shoes on. "I do not want to hear that you've managed to get yourself into trouble while walking to Gracia's," he drawled.

"As if anyone will try kidnapping one of us after hearing about what happened to Lotor," Ed said.

Mustang refused to admit that he was right. Word had spread quickly that the hunt for Lotor had ended with diplomatic guests being kidnapped, two generals turning traitor and Lotor being mauled to death by one of the Lions. The public was a bit more cautious of the Lions after hearing that but, from what Mustang had heard from his team, most of the public were of the opinion that Lotor had deserved what happened to him. However, as always happened when a high profile mission like this wrapped up out of the public's eye, a few people had cried conspiracy and Mustang would be lying if he said that hearing some of those theories hadn't made his day just a bit more entertaining than it would've been.

"We'll make sure the Lions here hear from us when we get back to Miss Gracia's," Al promised before Ed or anyone else could say something else, "and we'll do our best to stay out of trouble," he added.

"Thank you, Alphonse," Mustang said, giving the younger Elric a small but honest smile that he returned. Mustang watched as Ed pulled on his red coat and pulled his braid out from underneath the material. "See you all tomorrow," Mustang said once they were all organised to leave.

"We'll see you all tomorrow," Shiro echoed, giving everyone who wasn't standing a wave and another warning look to his remaining teammates to behave themselves.

Ed opened the front door and let the others leave before he did, throwing a 'see ya!' over his shoulder before he shut the door behind him, leaving Mustang to shake his head slightly at the blonde's behaviour. Draining the last of his coffee, Mustang stood up and started gesturing for the empty coffee cups to be handed to him. "What do you guys want for dinner tonight?" he asked as he collected the empty mugs.

"Do you mind if I cook again, General?" Hunk immediately asked as he helped with the cup collection. "I kinda wanna take all the opportunities I can to cook with real Earth food before we're back on the Castle-Ship," he said excitedly before Mustang could say anything.

Mustang wasn't dumb enough to miss the looks that were exchanged between the three Paladins just before Hunk made his offer but, for his dignity's sake, Mustang pretended not to notice them as he looked at Hunk with a touch of concern. "Are you sure? You've cooked nearly every night you've been here," he pointed out. Hunk gave a very emphatic nod that Mustang knew had a lot to do with him trying to avoid getting a first-hand story of his own about Mustang's cooking attempts. "Alright, so long as you're sure," he acquiesced.

"Thanks, General!" Hunk said, a look of relief and excitement on his face that had Mustang almost scowl but he managed to refrain from doing so.

"It's no problem, Hunk," he said instead as he followed the Yellow Paladin into the kitchen to deal with the dirtied mugs. He ignored the mutters from Pidge to Keith that were too low for Mustang to make out but that he just _knew_ were about his abysmal cooking skills and them being able to avoid food poisoning for another night. The only reason he didn't say anything to defend himself was because he really didn't want Ed and Gracia teaming up and revealing all of his cooking failures to Voltron while some of them were still under his roof. The teenagers staying with him were far too alike to Ed for Mustang to believe that that wouldn't be anything other than disastrous for him if it was allowed to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 28 for all of you! Less than 10 chapters to go before this story is brought to its conclusion! I hope you all enjoy it and many, many thanks to those of you who are leaving comments :) If you enjoy this chapter or have any constructive criticism, please leave me a comment! Have an awesome week and I'll see you next Sunday!


	29. Chapter 29

Alphonse was listening to Izumi subtly interrogate Voltron as best she could while they were in public with extremely well-hidden amusement. A glance to his right showed him his brother and Sig talking avidly about the Curtis' butcher shop and Al just knew Ed was trying to get all the blackmail material he could on Mason so he could use it against the man the next time they were in Dublith. They were being listened to by Scar, who was walking just behind both Ed and Al, and Al was a little amused to see just how much interest Scar was showing in the subject discussed by Ed and Sig. Though he wanted to, Al refrained from turning around to check on his teacher and the Voltron crew because he knew that if he did, Izumi would likely try to draw him into the interrogation.

They were nearing the front gates of Central Command when Al spotted movement. It didn't take him long to identify who was racing towards them and he didn't bother to stop the shit-eating grin from growing on his lips as he said, "head's up, Brother."

The amused warning drew Ed's attention from Sig in time for the blonde to yelp as a lean but strong figure wrapped itself around him, nearly knocking them both to the ground. "Edward! My friend, how are you?!" the figure cried in joy as he clung to the blonde alchemist.

"Ling, I swear to fuck that if you don't get off me, I'm gonna stab you," Ed growled as he tried shoving the Xingese Emperor off him. He could feel a steadying hand on his left shoulder and a glance told him that Scar had moved to grab him so he didn't end up hitting the ground after Ling's tackle. Ed spotted two figures clad entirely in black and with masks firmly in place hovering just outside of the group's reach but close enough to intervene if Ed or any of them tried anything. "Hello, Lan Fan. I trust you're well?" Ed asked as he continued trying to pry off the man clinging to him.

The slender figure removed their mask to reveal Lan Fan's bank face. "It is delightful to see you once more, Edward. Please refrain from stabbing Emperor Ling while we're here," she requested, her face twitching in amusement as Ed continued to try and get Ling off himself with minimal success.

"A little help?" Ed asked the Lions, all of whom were watching this in amusement.

" _You didn't help us while your teacher was questioning our humans,"_ Black said, a touch of irritation in her voice. Izumi was very good at wording her questions carefully so as to not arouse suspicion from any passer-byers and she was very thorough in her questioning. Not a single one of the Paladins, including Keith, dared to ignore her questions.

"I promise she'll stop now that these guys are here," Ed told them, pushing at Ling's face. The emperor looked thoroughly unphased by the treatment. "Plus, if they're here, you can bet Mei is around too since she was a big part of Promised Day and Teacher will want to talk to her about alkahestry now that we're not in danger of a power-hungry homunculous trying to destroy Amestris," Ed told them.

The Lions seemed to be considering his words while Lan Fan and the still unintroduced guard watched them cautiously. _"Alright, fine,"_ Black said finally before she and Red let out two simultaneous, loud snarls directed right at the emperor still attached to Ed.

The snarls had the desired effect and Ed breathed a sigh of relief when Ling all but flew off of him in surprise, having apparently not noticed the five large Lions behind Ed when he'd spotted the blonde and his group approaching the gates. Both Lan Fan and the second guard tensed up, reaching for their weapons but didn't get the chance to unveil them since the Lions calmed down the moment Ling was off Ed. The younger guard still held himself as though he was willing to throw himself in between Ling and the Lions at a moment's notice but – to Ed's mild surprise – Lan Fan seemed to be more at ease than he'd expected.

"Is that really how you let your friends greet another of your friends?" Ling asked from where he stood near Lan Fan.

"It is if that friend is trying to suffocate me," Ed said sternly. His glare lasted only a moment before he relaxed it into a smile and held his hand out for Ling to shake. "It's good to see you, Emperor Ling," he said, a slightly teasing note in his voice as he used Ling's title. "I'd wondered if your free-loading arse was gonna be invited to the memorial service," he said as Ling shook his hand.

"You wound me with your unfounded insults," Ling said, a grin on his face as he released Ed's hand. "Now I haven't spoken to Fuhrer Grumman yet but perhaps you could introduce me to your friends and explain exactly who they are and how they arrived here?" Ling asked, nodding to Voltron with a touch of wariness.

"Only after you've introduced your new guard," Ed countered, gesturing to the person standing next to Lan Fan and watching them suspiciously.

Ling startled slightly and Ed wanted to facepalm. It was obvious the older man had forgotten that none of them would know who his second guard was. "Oh, that is Lan Fan's cousin and her second in command, Li Jun," Ling told them, waving a hand at both Lan Fan and Li Jun when he said their names, primarily so that those who didn't already know her would know who Lan Fan was. "Now, who are your new friends?" Ling asked excitedly before anyone could do more than nod at Li Jun.

"My lord, perhaps it would be best for those introductions to happen later. We're late for our meeting with Fuhrer Grumman and we will be late for the second meeting if we do not move now," Lan Fan said respectfully.

"Oh, I suppose it wouldn't put us in Fuhrer Grumman's good books if we were late to the next meeting as well," Ling said, looking thoroughly disappointed that he wouldn't get the answer to his question immediately. "Plus, I don't thing it would be good for the Chang-Yao alliance if we left Princess Mei with only Xao-Mei for company for so long," he added.

Ed's face split into a grin when he saw his younger brother's reaction to Mei's name and the knowledge that she was in Central Command. "So Mei travelled with you lot, did she?" Ed asked as he urged the two groups forward. He and the other Amestrians were the only ones – aside from Ling – who weren't surprised when Lan Fan and Li Jun seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving Ling with them.

"Where the hell did they go?" Keith asked, his hand in his pocket where he kept his bayard as his eyes darted around their surroundings, trying to spot the missing Xingese. The Lions and other Paladins looked just as startled and suspicious.

"Oh, they'll be keeping watch from above," Ling told them casually. "Lan Fan knows that Edward and Alphonse wouldn't let any real harm befall me so she's leaving my care on the ground to them. Li Jun took a little while during our journey to Amestris to convince that despite Edward's brash behaviour, he likely wouldn't kill me. Perhaps injure a little, but not actually kill me," Ling said with a large smile.

"Depends on how empty my account is after you beg for food again," Ed muttered, obviously still annoyed at how much the emperor had cost him literally when he was a prince and homunculous.

"As for your question, yes, Princess Mei and Xao-Mei travelled to Amestris with us," Ling said, ignoring Ed's mutters. "Since the Chang and Yao clans have formed an alliance, made official when we returned back to Xing after Promised Day, we've been spending a lot of time together. We have made a lot of changes in Xing regarding many things but one of the biggest changes was how to decide a successor to the throne," Ling revealed.

"So no more having to have a kid with every clan?" Ed asked, almost grinning when he heard a couple of startled gasps-turned-coughs behind him.

" _Excuse me?!"_ Blue asked, sounding a touch scandalized by the revelation.

"Exactly," Ling said with a smile. "My advisors were not happy with my decision but I informed them that they couldn't make me have a child with the eldest daughter of each clan head. Mei was the one to then point out that some of the clan heads – like herself – were either too young to have children of their own or were childless for one reason or another, something that hasn't happened in the history of Xing before. She and I both reminded the advisors that our goal was to unify Xing so there were no more inter-clan wars as the clans struggled to try and keep in favour with the emperor so their chances of being the successor was higher," Ling told Ed, sounding very proud of himself and Mei.

Ed had to admit he was rather proud of the emperor as well. It had only been an idea in Ling's mind when he and Lan Fan had left, leaving Mei in the care of Amestris until Al had been out of medical danger and could be escorted home. To hear that he'd achieved something as massive as that in less than a year was amazing and he couldn't begrudge Ling the smugness he was feeling nor could he stop himself from saying his thoughts on Ling's accomplishment out loud. "So what does that mean for the decision of your successor?" Ed asked once he'd successfully stopped Ling from trying to hug him once more.

"I can meet with each clan's heir and choose who I want to train under me as my successor. After a few years, I will announce my heir and they will begin preparing for my retirement or death, whichever one comes first," Ling said as Ed flashed the front gate guards his pocket watch so they wouldn't be held up. He saw two dark flashes jump from one rooftop to another as Lan Fan and Li Jun kept their emperor in their sight. "At the moment, Mei is my successor should something happen before I can choose an actual heir," Ling told them as they entered the main building of Central Command.

"Is that wise?" Al asked, looking a little worried. "I know Mei would make an excellent empress but she's barely a teenager and from what I remember about her stories, the Changs aren't exactly respected amongst the other clans," he said,

Ling nodded. "You're right, of course," he told him. "Mei's age isn't ideal and her clan isn't one of the ones normally considered for the throne," Ling said, "however she has proven herself most worthy of ruling Xing in my place if I am unable to do so. She's got a smart mind about her and in the nine months it's been since I've taken the throne, she has proven herself most adapt at walking circles around the advisors belonging to our late father," Ling said, a smirk on his face that made both Ed and Al come to the mutual and unspoken decision to get stories from Ling later about that.

As they turned a corner, Ed spotted a small, familiar, pink and white clad figure waiting patiently next to the elevator Ed, Al, Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc and Voltron had all met Samantha in front of when they'd first arrived in Central after Voltron and Lotor had crashed in the Ishvalen desert. To Ed's immense surprise, Mei didn't give into her obvious desire to wrap Al in a hug like Ling had done to Ed himself when her eyes landed on him. Both Lan Fan and Li Jun were now standing with Mei, which Ed found himself also unsurprised by considering he knew they wouldn't be able to spy on everyone from a window ledge like they'd done a few times when Ed first met them without causing the base to go into a panic.

"Alphonse! Mr. Scar! Edward!" Mei exclaimed once they were close enough that she wouldn't have to shout. Xao-Mei was, as always, sitting on Mei's shoulder and was both waving and squeaking furiously at the group. "It's good to see all of you!" she gushed as they came to a stop next to her and the two guards. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis!" she said when she realised the two of them were also part of the group.

"Hello, Princess Mei," Izumi said, a rare smile on her face. "How have you been?" she asked as Ed pressed the button for the elevator.

"I've been well," Mei said, looking delighted that Izumi had asked. Her eyes flicked to Alphonse once more and it took every ounce of self-control and fear of Izumi's reaction Ed had to not grin madly at the way Alphonse's cheeks were slowly starting to darken. "How are you, Alphonse? You look a lot better than the last time I saw you. Was your recovery quick?" she asked as Shiro silently helped Ed and Lan Fan herd everyone into the elevator and get it moving up to the level they needed it on.

The obvious curiousity in Ling and Lan Fan's eyes told Ed they wanted to know as well but had – for whatever reason – not asked themselves. Al didn't seem to notice their curiousity as he answered Mei's questions. "I'm doing good, Mei," he told her, "and my recovery was quick," he said. "I was released from the hospital only two months after Promised Day and I could join Brother on missions once more a month later," he told her.

Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "That's amazing, Alphonse! I had thought your recovery would take longer than that!" she told him while Xao-Mei squeaked in agreement.

The small panda's noises caught the attention of the Lions and their Paladins, all of whom were now watching the tiny panda with looks of amazement, curiousity, confusion or any combination thereof. Ed noticed Lance reaching out as though to pet the small creature, seemingly oblivious to Xao-Mei's warning snarls. A combination of Mei realising what was about to happen and moving as much as she could and Ed grabbing Lance's wrist prevented the Blue Paladin from losing a finger.

"Trust me when I say this but Xao-Mei doesn't like people she doesn't know or like touching her," Ed warned them, releasing Lance's hand just as Shiro gave Lance an admonishing look.

"But she's so cute!" Lance whined even as he dropped his hand.

"And vicious," Ed told him seriously. He was certain that if he had his right hand at the time that he would've had scars from Xao-Mei using it as a chew toy.

A small _ding!_ caught their attention as the elevator shuddered to a stop, saving Lance from a few stern words about not touching strange animals from Shiro. A check of Ed's watch told the blonde that they still had plenty of time so he didn't have to make them hurry as they started heading down the corridor towards Grumman's office. Mei was watching Lance with a mix of apprehension and happiness and Ed didn't bother hiding the grin at how obviously torn the young princess was about Lance's reaction to Xao-Mei. Ed nodded to the few soldiers who they passed by as they continued down the hall as Mei continued to interrogate Al and, when Izumi mentioned Al's training after being released, Izumi herself.

" _She seems quite taken with Alphonse,"_ Blue commented as they walked.

Ed grinned as he felt the other Lions' obvious interest and knew they were fishing for information. "Yeah, they spent the two or so months between Baschool and Al arriving in Liore with Winry, Scar, Yoki and Marcoh as their only company. At that time, we were trying to learn alkahestry as best we could so we might be able to combine it with alchemy so that if Father cut off our alchemy again, we might be able to use it still so the two of them spent most of that time together with Mei trying to teach Al as much as she could," Ed told her casually, though he decided to let the other Lions in on the conversation to save Blue from having to repeat his words to them.

" _Is the admiration both ways?"_ Red asked bluntly, finding herself the end of four berating hisses of her name from her sisters.

"Oh, I am almost positive it is," Ed told them, ignoring the suspicious look he was getting from Al before his little brother's attention was willingly dragged back to Mei. They may have been speaking through their bonds but Al had always had an uncanny ability to know when his brother was teasing him, even in his mind. "In fact, Al has been making random comments about Xing in the last couple of months. I think he's trying to gauge my reaction so he can guess how I'll react if he suggests we visit Xing together," Ed divulged.

" _What are your thoughts on it?"_ Green asked curiously and Ed shrugged.

"I'm not sure I want to go, if I'm being honest," Ed told them. "It'd be nice but if Al and Mei do actually decide to get into a relationship together, I'd be left dealing with Ling by myself and I really don't think either of us would survive that," Ed said, scowling lightly at Ling, who looked a little flummoxed about why. "Plus, the only reason I would've gone would be to learn alkahestry and I don't think I want to anymore. The only reason I was interested in the first place was because it might help us against Father and that threat is long gone," he said as the Fuhrer's office came into view. "However, Creta's alchemy is healing based, just like alkahestry, but they use alchemy the same way we do. If our trade talks go through and we can visit, I'm gonna volunteer for that because I wouldn't mind learning healing alchemy. Certainly would come in use on missions," Ed muttered, scowling a little when he felt five nods in agreement.

" _Plus, you wouldn't be arrested or killed for stabbing Ling when he got on your nerves while Al and Mei aren't there to stop you,"_ Blue said, nodding approvingly at his plan. Ed snorted when the others gave their own seals of approval on his plans.

"Now that I have your permission," he teased before he knocked on the door, startling both Al and Mei out of their conversation. "You should be paying attention to your surroundings, little brother," Ed said, grinning when Al flushed.

"Shut up," Al muttered, causing Ed's grin to widen but the elder Elric decided to back off for the moment, if only because Samantha had just granted them permission to enter the outer office.

"Morning, Miss Samantha!" Ed called in greeting just before calls of his and Al's names drowned him out. "Morning, everyone else," Ed said with a grin as he faced Mustang, his main team, Rebecca and, to Ed's surprise, the chimeras. The only ones missing for the meeting were Grumman himself, Lieutenant Maria Ross and the Armstrong siblings, though Ed suspected it would be a matter of moments for the two of them to turn up and for Grumman to make an appearance.

"Good morning, Edward. I see you've managed to find our missing guests," Samantha said, giving Ling and his entourage a disapproving look that had Ed very curious.

"What did you lot do to make Miss Samantha annoyed with you?" Ed asked as Izumi and Sig headed over to where the team was standing. Scar and Voltron didn't move from Ed and Al's side.

Ling grinned guiltily as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ahaha," he chuckled as he grinned before bowing deeply to Samantha, mimicked quickly by the three other Xingese in the room. "We apologise for our tardiness, Miss Samantha. We were on track to be here early enough to speak with Fuhrer Grumman before the meeting, as per his request, but we ran into Edward and Alphonse along the way and the meeting slipped our minds in favour of greeting our friends," Ling explained, earning himself an eyeroll from Ed and a mollified look from Samantha.

"His Excellency saw what happened from his window so he realised you likely wouldn't be here for your meeting. I'm sure he'll say so himself but he has requested that you remain after the meeting so you and he can discuss what you need too," Samantha informed him. Her stern tone told him there would be no arguments.

"We are gladdened that Fuhrer Grumman wasn't offended by our actions and we would be honoured to have that discussion at his earliest convenience," Ling assured her, finally straightening from his bow, as did the three others.

"You're either brave or dumb to risk Miss Samantha's ire like that," Ed told him cheerily, clapping Ling on the shoulder.

Ling opened his mouth to say something while Samantha did her best to not seem happy about Ed's comment when Grumman's inner office door opened to reveal the four missing people, which Ed was a little surprised about. He had thought the Armstrong siblings and Ross would be behind them, not in Grumman's office. Grumman looked around, likely checking they were all there before he nodded in greeting to them all as well as to dismiss the salutes from those in the military and who weren't in his inner office with him.

"Emperor Ling, Princess Mei, I'm pleased to see you both in good health," Grumman said once his eyes landed on the Xingese standing with Ed and Al.

"Fuhrer Grumman, it is our honour to be here. On behalf of Xing, we would like to thank you inviting the four of us to the first memorial service for Promised Day so that we may join Amestris and her people in remembering and honouring those we lost and celebrating our victory," Ling said as he straightened up from the bow he'd fallen into when Grumman had finished addressing them.

"All of you were instrumental in aiding our side against the homunculi and their plans for our country and all of you sacrificed something, in one way or another. You have as much right to be here as the rest of those standing before me today," Grumman said, voice kind but firm.

Ed felt Voltron shift slightly behind him in reaction to Grumman's words and his apparent oversight of the fact that they were there. He didn't call them out on it though since he didn't think any of them would appreciate the attention. Plus, he saw the way General Armstrong's eyes had narrowed in both recognition and suspicion when she'd spotted the Lions and their pilots upon exiting Grumman's inner office and he didn't feel like going through her interrogation on Voltron's being in Amestris before the meeting that would be getting underway any minute now.

Sure enough, Grumman was quick to get them moving into the conference room that had been used for the meeting between Ed, Grumman and the generals while Mustang had been in prison. With instructions to Samantha to interrupt the meeting if something urgent came up, Grumman followed them in and closed the door behind him. "Please, grab a seat. If there aren't enough, I'll see if Samantha can locate some more for us," he said as he headed around the conference table to seat in the same seat he had when Ed was last in the room.

Everyone else managed to find themselves seats and Ed found himself sitting at the end of the table with the Lions surrounding him and their pilots, all of whom were sitting in some spare chairs up against the wall behind Ed. Al was on Ed's right with Mei, Ling, Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Falman all sitting on one side of the table and Grumman, the Armstrong siblings, Rebecca and the Curtises taking up the seats on the other side of the table, with both Armstrongs flanking Grumman, which Ed thought was a smart move since it would likely stop General Armstrong from stabbing her brother if she grew too irritated of him. Lan Fan, Li Jun and Ross all stood behind their respective charge, though Grumman was quick to coax Ross into the empty seat next to Rebecca since she wasn't there to act as a guard. Ed wasn't surprised when Grumman didn't try and do the same to the two Xingese guards since the Fuhrer knew as well as Ed did that they would politely decline the offer. There was a small moment where it looked like three of the chimeras wouldn't have any seats but they were quick to spot the spare chairs in the corner of the room and soon joined them all the table, though Ed was now sitting on one end of the table, facing Darius who was seated opposite him with Heinkel on his left and both Jerso and Zampano on his right, once everyone had shuffled down to accommodate them.

Only once everyone was settled and had finished shifting to make room for everyone else, Grumman addressed them all. "I want to thank you all for taking the time to travel up from your homes or postings in order to attend this meeting," Grumman said, dipping his head to them all. "I'm sure you're all aware that this meeting is being held primarily to discuss what will happen during the award part of the memorial ceremony tomorrow," he said, using the opportunity to smooth out any confusion some of them might've had since it wasn't unheard of for messages to get messed up before they reached their intended target.

"Forgive my interruption, Fuhrer Grumman, but there is something I'd like to ask," Heinkel rumbled from where he sat. At Grumman's nod, he continued. "Who are the strangers sitting near Ed and why are they here? I don't remember them from Promised Day," he said. The three other chimeras all shifted noticeably, showing their interest in the answer.

"Ah, yes," Grumman said, straightening a little. "I'm sure everyone had heard about our diplomatic guests and the national hunt for a war criminal from their country, yes?" he asked and got nods from those who weren't an Elric or part of Mustang's team. "The hunt for the criminal has since ended with the criminal's death but our diplomatic guests are still waiting for transport back to their home. Since they're still Amestris' guests, Brigadier-General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric are still tasked with their safety. Since both of them and the rest of General Mustang's team are here, I granted Voltron permission to attend this meeting," Grumman explained.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Heinkel said, dipping his head in gratitude.

"You got promoted, kid?" Darius asked, a grin on his face that only widened when Ed groaned.

"Unwillingly," Ed muttered, glaring at Mustang when he made a suspicious coughing sound. "Keep laughing, bastard, and I'll punch you," Ed snarled before Grumman could stop him.

"What happened?" Heinkel asked while Darius tried to stop grinning at Ed's reaction. Both chimeras, and Ling for that matter, knew personally just how much Ed hated the idea of being promoted. It had been something the chimeras had joked about while Ed was travelling with them and Greed/Ling during the few weeks before Promised Day. Ed's rant about how he wouldn't be promoted was something the two chimeras still considered legendary whenever they reminisced about those weeks.

"I'll happily tell you about it later but I think Fuhrer Grumman and a lot of other people would prefer it if this meeting happened without any side-tracking," Ed said, still glaring at Mustang, though it was moved to Al when his brother couldn't stop his own snort of laughter in time.

"It would be appreciated," Grumman said, earning himself and Ed a nod of agreement from the two chimeras. Once he was certain there wouldn't be anything else said, Grumman got the meeting back on track. "Now, the actual ceremony is scheduled to start tomorrow morning by nine but I would appreciate it if everyone, including Mrs. Hughes and Elysia," Grumman said, looking at Ed and Al, "could be here at least an hour beforehand," he said, getting nods from everyone. "We'll be setting up the courtyard where the final battle with Father took place. There will be a stage that will sit in front of the building and faces out into the courtyard, where there will be seating set up for those who will be attending the ceremony," Grumman explained. "All of those attending this meeting, minus Voltron," Grumman shot them an apologetic look, "will be joining me up on the stage, where you will remain for the duration of the ceremony. Mrs. Hughes and Elysia will be given the choice to remain there after the award ceremony or they can leave the stage to join those in the courtyard, if they so wish," Grumman said and Ed let out a silent sigh of relief that Al mimicked. Neither of them would've been able to say for certain that Elysia would've been able to sit on the stage for that long quietly.

Grumman gave them a knowing look before he continued. "The seating in the courtyard will be split up. One section will be for reporters, with a station nearby so that the radio station here in Central can broadcast the ceremony live. Another section will have the generals and any other high-ranking guests, such as your family," Grumman said to both Armstrongs, "seated in it. This is also where the Ishvalen elders and Rockbell women will be seated," Grumman added, looking at both Elrics and Scar and received three nods in thanks. "That section will have guards around it, just in case someone tries to take advantage of the ceremony to try something," he told them. Major Armstrong looked relieved and thankful for Grumman's consideration while General Armstrong's expression didn't change, though she did incline her head slightly. "On the other side of these two groups will be a section of the same size but it will hold the immediate family of those who perished during the fighting here in Central and have agreed to attend the ceremony," Grumman said, a touch of grief in his voice. "I will have Voltron sit amongst the generals and special guests, so long as you're all comfortable with that?" Grumman asked, looking specifically at the humans of Voltron though Ed noticed his eyes glance at him and Mustang.

"We have no arguments with that, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said, speaking on behalf of them all. "I would like to request that we be seated near Pinako Rockbell, if possible, and on the outer edge of the section so that our Lions are able to stretch out if they wish to," he asked, looking a little guilty that he was doing so.

"That's completely fine and I'm sure we can arrange for that," Grumman agreed easily. Ed felt the Lions' relief through his bond and knew that it had been Black who'd asked Shiro to make that request, which explained the slight pause in between Shiro's agreement to the seating and the request. "The reporters have been told that there will be no questions from them at any point during the ceremony and all of them have agreed to only ask for statements once the ceremony is finished," Grumman told them, moving them to the meeting once more. "There will be no warnings given to the reporters so if any of them do try and question any of you before or after the ceremony, or try to interrupt the actual ceremony, they are to be escorted off the base. Every soldier who has been assigned to attend the ceremony have the same instructions so I ask that you delegate the removal of any reporter who disregards the conditions of their attendance to those soldiers," he told them, once again looking specifically at Ed, who just nodded.

Satisfied there were no questions forthcoming in the couple of seconds he stayed silent for, Grumman moved on. "Once the ceremony has started, I will be talking about the events that led up to the Promised Day. This will include what Brigadier-General Hughes uncovered and was ultimately silenced over," Grumman said, looking at Ed, Al and Mustang as he spoke. "If you would like to warn Mrs. Hughes and her daughter beforehand, I won't stop you," he told them gently. "I will also be talking about your arrest and subsequent escape and how that led to the role you played on Promised Day, Lieutenant Ross," Grumman said, angling his body so he would be facing the woman he was speaking to.

Ross didn't look awfully happy to know that that part of her life would be revealed once more but she nodded in acceptance. "Thank you for the warning, Sir," she said.

Grumman nodded at her thanks before he continued speaking. "Once I have finished speaking about the Promised Day and what happened, we will move into the award section of the ceremony," he told them. Ed's scowl was noticed by everyone and no one missed the uncomfortable fidgeting from the chimeras but no one commented on it. "I will be honouring all of you first before I move onto the posthumous awards for Captain Buccaneer, Fu, Van Hohenheim, and Brigadier-General Hughes," Grumman said.

It took everything in Ed to not flinch or react to his father's name being spoken out loud. Grumman had warned them that this would be happening when he first told them about the fact that they were going to honoured during the ceremony so it wasn't a surprise but Ed still had to hold back the reflexive scowl he usually wore when Hohenheim was mentioned. The side-glance from Al told Ed that his brother was expecting some sort of reaction from him but Ed managed to only show he'd heard Hohenheim's name in the way of a slight twitch. He could feel the Lions pressing on his mind, sending warmth and love through their bond, which Ed appreciated immensely even if he didn't say anything.

Grumman continued as though no one had been waiting for Ed to explode upon hearing his and Al's father's name. "After the posthumous awards have been presented, I will move on to read off a list of the known deaths caused during the fighting before we will pause for a minute of silence to remember the victims," he told them. "Once the minute of silence has ended, we," Grumman gestured to all of them, including himself, "will be moving off the stage and to the middle of the courtyard where I will unveil the plaque I commissioned with the names of those who died and the names of those who saved our country," Grumman explained. "After the unveiling, the ceremony will come to a close, the radio station will stop its live broadcasting and those who attended the ceremony will be invited to join us for a lunch that the Armstrong family kindly offered to have their family's cooks create for the ceremony and those in attendance. We will be required to stay near the plaque for photos for the reporters but that shouldn't last more than ten minutes, if that," Grumman said.

"Once that is finished, you will all be free to join everyone else for lunch and entertain yourselves until the lunch is over," he told them, the corners of his mouth curling up into an almost invisible smirk when several people seemed to relax at the news. "I will also be announcing that April 15th will be considered a public holiday where only the military, hospitals and any businesses who may choose to do so will remain open throughout the country. The only trains that will run will be the military ones and only if they are absolutely needed," Grumman explained. He paused for a moment before continuing. "The only things I will not be speaking about tomorrow without your explicit permission are your statuses as chimera," he said, looking at the four in question, "and the fact that Hohenheim was there when Xerxes fell and everything that happened to him personally as a result of that," he said, looking at both Ed and Al.

"We would prefer it if it wasn't made public knowledge about our statuses," Zampano said, after quietly consulting with his fellow chimeras. Grumman nodded in acknowledgement and both Ed and Al found everyone's attention on the two of them.

Ed looked at Al and, after a silent conversation that ended with a tiny shake of Al's head, Ed turned to Grumman. "We'd prefer it if the fact that Hohenheim was centuries old and there when Xerxes fell was also kept out of the public's eye," Ed said and again, Grumman accepted it with a nod.

"Then no one outside of this room and who already knows will hear about it tomorrow," Grumman promised them. He waited in silence for a couple of moments before speaking once more. "Do any of you have any questions regarding the ceremony tomorrow?" he asked, settling back into his chair so he could see them all and gauge their reactions.

After another small round of silence, Mustang finally spoke up. "I don't believe anyone on my team have any questions, Sir," he told Grumman.

"We don't either," Jerso said, obviously speaking for his fellow chimeras. His words were echoed by the Curtises, Lieutenant Ross and Rebecca.

"Nor do I, Your Excellency," Major Armstrong said, a touch louder than everyone else around him.

"I have no questions either," General Armstrong said, though her eyes told Ed that she had plenty of questions for him and there was an undercurrent of threat in them, daring Ed to try and escape her before she could ask them.

"Since Li Jun was not involved in Promised Day, would you like him to assist in guarding the generals and other important guests or is he free to chose somewhere of his own to guard us from?" Ling asked.

Grumman considered his question for a moment. "I have no issues with him choosing a location of his own, providing that he informs the soldier I have tasked with overseeing the security measures where that location is, just in case someone spots him and mistakes him for an opportunistic sniper or enemy," he said finally.

Ling was quick to say something in Xingese that had the youngest of his guards nodding before the emperor faced Grumman once more. "He will decide on where he wants to guard us from in the morning once he's seen the set up for the ceremony with his own eyes. He will inform your soldier before he takes up his chosen position," Ling promised him. Li Jun nodded to Grumman from where he stood behind his emperor, obviously wanting Grumman to know he understood his orders and would do as his lord said.

Grumman gave a nod of his own, this one in thanks. "I will introduce you to that soldier in the morning," Grumman told them before he addressed the rest of them once more. "If no one has any further questions then I'd like to thank you all for attending this meeting," Grumman said. "I'd like to request that those of you who have the time and inclination to do so to help those who are setting up for the ceremony tomorrow. This isn't an order so if you have other plans or work of your own to complete, you won't be disobeying orders by doing so," Grumman told them.

Mustang silently checked with his team before he addressed Grumman. "I believe we have all finished our work for the day, Fuhrer Grumman, so we would be happy to offer our assistance," Mustang said.

"A minor miracle in and of itself," Ed muttered, loud enough for Mustang to hear him but low enough that Grumman could pretend not to have heard of him, if the Fuhrer decided to do so, which he did, much to Ed's delight. "Al and I can give a hand as well," Ed said before Mustang could do anything more than glower at him.

"We'd be happy to help as well, Fuhrer Grumman," Shiro said after a quick conversation with his team and the Lions.

"That would be greatly appreciated," Grumman said, nodding to Voltron.

"I will also help, if I can," Scar said quietly and Grumman gave him an appreciative nod.

"Unfortunately, I must decline," General Armstrong said, a slightly displeased twist on her lips. "My doctor heard I was in town and has asked that I attend an appointment for a check-up before I leave for Fort Briggs once more," she explained. Ed had to bite his tongue so he didn't whisper to Al that he wasn't the only one in Amestris who thought hospitals and check-ups were pointless.

"I, too, must decline with great regret, Fuhrer Grumman," Major Armstrong said, sounding very upset that he had to. "Lieutenant Ross, myself and the rest of our team still have work that requires our attention," he announced, looking and sounding close to tears. Ed was slightly worried that they'd have a weeping and shirtless Major Armstrong soon.

"That's completely understandable, Major Armstrong," Grumman said, looking thoroughly unphased by the bigger man's emotions while General Armstrong looked like she was doing a remarkable job stopping herself from either snarling at her brother for being emotional or outright stabbing him. "I appreciate that you would have been willing to help out had your duties not been in the way," Grumman assured him.

"I'm happy to help where I can," Rebecca said, side-eyeing Major Armstrong, who still looked like he was close to tears.

"We'll pitch in as well," Darius said, the three other chimeras nodding along with his words.

"As will we," Izumi said, speaking for both her and Sig.

"If there is still anything to be done after our discussion, Fuhrer Grumman, we will also assist in setting up the courtyard," Ling said after checking with his three companions. Mei and Xao-Mei didn't look too happy that they wouldn't be spared from attending the meeting but they didn't put up an argument.

"Thank you," Grumman said. "If you have no objections, we'll have that meeting as soon as this one has ended," Grumman said and received nothing but agreeance from the Xingese. "Well, with that and there being nothing else I need to discuss, I'd like to once again thank you all for attending this meeting," Grumman stood up from his seat as he spoke, causing everyone else to do so as well, "and I'll see you all in the morning in the courtyard," Grumman instructed.

"Sure thing, Grumman," Ed said. "We'll make sure Miss Gracia and Elysia know what's happening and when they need to be here by," he told him.

"Thank you, Edward," Grumman said, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said in a clear dismissal, addressing them all.

"You as well, Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang said, raising his hand in a salute, prompting everyone else who was part of the military to do the same, Edward included.

The moment Grumman dismissed their salutes, Ed turned to Voltron and hustled them out of the conference room, not willing to take the chance that something would happen and he would be drawn into it. He was completely unsurprised that not only the chimeras but General Armstrong were on their heels. They made it out of the conference room and halfway between the inner office doors and outer office doors – providing Grumman and the Xingese plenty of room to move past them without disrupting any conversation and with enough distance between them and Samantha so they wouldn't disrupt her work – before Ed came to a stop and prepared himself for the confrontations.

"It's good to see you're still in one piece, kid," Darius said, ruffling Ed's hair with one of his hands and laughing when Ed snarled at him and pushed his hand away.

"It's good to see you guys as well," Ed said honestly, trying to unsuccessfully duck away from Heinkel's hand as the lion chimera mimicked the gorilla's actions. "For the most part," Ed snarled as he batted Heinkel's hand away from him. "You guys never said in our letters that you were gonna be coming up for this," he said, watching Jerso and Zampano warily but relaxed when their attentions were on Al and annoying him.

"I don't know about Heinkel but I hadn't been certain whether I was going to set foot in Central again," Darius said with a shrug. "This city has too many memories and I couldn't help but think it was one big, elaborate trap to get us back in town so they could study us," he admitted.

Ed's expression twisted into one of sympathy. "I thought Grumman made it so no one knew what you guys are," Ed said. "Everyone who did know was a traitor and either killed on Promised Day or has been killed after their trial," he said and the four of them nodded.

"He definitely made sure that there wasn't anyone else alive aside from you lot who knew about us but there was still that fear that he'd missed someone," Darius told him.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," General Armstrong said, clearly deciding she'd graciously given the chimeras and Ed enough to time to catch up. "Explain how they arrived," she demanded, gesturing to Voltron. Her eyes informed him on the same thing they had when she'd pinned him with a look while explaining to Grumman why she couldn't assist everyone else; that denying her what she wanted to know would not end well for the blonde alchemist.

"Sister, I think it would be best if you and young Edward spoke at a later time. It's a very long story and you'll be late for your doctor appointment if you don't leave now," Major Armstrong said, interrupting Ed before he could immediately start relaying the whole story despite the fact that there were several people present who didn't know anything about his inter-dimensional trips.

General Armstrong actually growled at her brother for daring to interject himself, an action that caused the Lions to look at her with awe while the Paladins seemed to be watching her with mild fear and wariness now. Major Armstrong simply smiled pleasantly at his sister's reaction, something Ed had to give him points for since he'd known lesser men to run from the elder Armstrong in fear if she'd done that to them. However, much to Ed's surprise, General Armstrong didn't immediately murder her brother, literally or verbally, and she didn't ignore his suggestion.

"What are you doing late this evening?" General Armstrong asked bitingly.

"Probably finishing up helping with setting up and heading back to the Hughes'," Ed told her, knowing exactly why she was asking.

"We have a dinner with Mother, Father and Catherine tonight," Major Armstrong reminded his sister and Ed was certain he saw the swordswoman reach for her bladed weapon before she thought better of her actions.

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Armstrong snarled, glaring at both Ed and her brother.

"Happily discussing the events around our diplomatic guests appearing in our country with you," Ed said without hesitation and was relieved when General Armstrong seemed to be pleased with that answer. Or he thought she did at least. He couldn't actually say for certain whether she was or not.

"Very well," General Armstrong said with a slight nod. "I will speak with you at length about this tomorrow afternoon," she told him, gesturing with one hand at Voltron. She barely waited for Ed's nod of agreement before she left the outer office without another word.

"I do apologise for my elder sister's bluntness," Major Armstrong said while Ross lingered behind him, waving silently in greeting to Ed. "She's just very intrigued about the ten of you and her thirst for answers has never been easily ignored," Armstrong told them.

Ed waved back to Ross as he addressed Armstrong. "Don't worry about it, Major. We know what General Armstrong is like and we aren't offended by her behaviour, if that's what you're worried about," he told him.

Much to Ed's relief, Ross noticed the signs that Armstrong was about to lose control of his emotions in face of Ed's claims and was able to interject herself, stopping the large man's joyful tears before they could begin. "I apologise for hurrying this along but we really should get back to our duties, Sir," she told Armstrong, who quickly and enthusiastically nodded in agreement with her words.

"Of course, Lieutenant Ross!" the major boomed, loud enough that Samantha shot him a withering look before she went back to her own duties. "We shall see you all tomorrow morning, if we do not happen to run into you beforehand!" he said, addressing everyone minus his sister and the Xingese who had attended the meeting with Grumman.

"See ya, Major," Ed said with a small wave. "Bye, Miss Maria," he added as the lieutenant started to subtly herd her commanding officer out of Grumman's outer office.

"Bye, Ed," Maria said as she continued with her efforts while everyone else offered their own goodbyes to the pair of them.

Once Maria had successfully managed to remove Armstrong from Grumman's outer office, Mustang decided to speak. "I believe it would probably be a good idea to head down to the courtyard now. I'm sure Fullmetal will happily answer any questions the four of you have as we walk," he said, cutting off Darius, who had been about to ask Ed something.

"Are you sure you've got no more paperwork to do? Maybe a stash hidden somewhere that you should get done before Miss Riza shoots you?" Ed asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion regarding Mustang's claims that no one on the team had any work left to do.

"Of course I'm sure," Mustang scowled but Ed's suspicious look didn't fade in the slightest.

"I searched his office myself. There is no more paperwork requiring completion by the general today," Hawkeye said, sounding mildly surprised by the revelation herself. Mustang looked torn between being smug and offended.

"Oh, well that's definitely a surprise," Ed said, earning himself a glare from Mustang but he continued speaking before the man could actually say anything. "We should get going though before Grumman thinks we were just pretending to accept his request to help out," he said, turning smartly on his heel and heading for the doors. "Bye, Miss Samantha!" Ed called as he held the door open so everyone could get through. He pretended not to notice the scowl on Mustang's face as everyone followed Ed's orders but he did notice and returned Havoc's and Breda's smirks.

"Bye, Edward! Have a good afternoon," Samantha called back, waving goodbye even as she reached for the now-ringing phone on her desk.

Ed returned the wave before he followed Scar, who had been the last to leave, and shut the door behind him. He found himself immediately surrounded by the Lions and Darius and Heinkel, the latter two obviously preparing to get the answers about his promotion out of Ed before they even got to the courtyard. Ed didn't bother to put up a fight as everyone started moving, Izumi being drawn into a conversation with Hawkeye while Hunk was enthusiastically talking with Sig about the butcher shop and Sig's opinions on different cuts of meat and how they should be cooked. Everyone else was either listening or engaged in their own conversations, with Al drawing Scar into one about what was happening in Ishval now.

Ed sighed, getting both Heinkel and Darius' immediate attention since they both knew what that sigh meant. "Alright, so my promotion happened like this," Ed said, grinning when both chimeras seemed to lean a little closer. "So, about four or so months ago, Mustang went and got himself framed for several murders and an attempted murder. After the third murder, Mustang and Miss Riza realised something was happening so they decided to plan for it…"

* * *

"Hey, kid." Ed paused in his movements to help grab more chairs to set up for those who were going to be attending the ceremony to sit in tomorrow as Darius called out him only half an hour after Ed had finished regaling both him and Heinkel with his story about why he'd been promoted.

"What's up?" Ed asked as he jogged over, expecting the gorilla chimera to ask for Ed's help with something. Both Al and Mustang paused in what they were doing a couple feet away to watch Ed move before they both seemed to turn back to their own work, apparently dismissing the call for Ed as a request for the blonde's help as well.

Heinkel seemed to know what Darius was about to ask since the lion chimera paused in his own work, which confused the blonde a little. "We've been meaning to ask since we first spotted ya, but how are you going after Baschool and that fight with that bastard, Kimblee?" Darius asked, frowning with a touch of concern.

Ed immediately froze internally, something the Lions were very quick to notice, which meant their Paladins noticed as well. "Yeah, I'm all good," Ed said lightly, pairing his words with a smile that he hoped would mean neither chimera would question him further.

As usual, Ed's luck was never that good. "So you haven't noticed any side effects from using your life-span as a stone to heal yourself?" Heinkel asked, oblivious to the panic going on inside Ed's head that only grew with each word that came out of the lion chimera's mouth.

"He did what?!" Al gasped; his voice strangled as he dropped the chair he'd been carting.

Mustang's reaction was almost identical, minus the exclamation. His dark eyes were trained solely on his youngest subordinate, who was looking like he would've rather been facing off Father again than being here in this situation. The commotion caused by Al attracted the attention of several other people, Hawkeye included, but most of them simply continued with what they were, Hawkeye excluded. The blonde captain seemed to realise something was happening since she decided to take a few steps forward in order to put herself in the conversation and, if need be, stop something from happening.

Both Darius and Heinkel seemed to realise what was going on as the Lions headed for Ed, wanting to be there as support for him and Ed found himself thankful for Blue and Black immediately pressing against him as he realised that he was going to have to explain what Heinkel had said after spending over a year keeping it from everyone. He was exceptionally grateful for the fact that none of the Lions were gloating about how they'd told him it would've been better for him to come clean in Ishval. He could feel the Lions' irritation at the fact that Ed had assumed they would've done that in the first place.

"They didn't know, did they?" Darius asked, voice unusually quiet as he put two and two together just as Izumi and Sig seemed to realise something important was about to happen and quickly joined the party.

"Nope," Ed said, eyes refusing to meet anyone else's. The entire atmosphere around their group was extremely uncomfortable and fraught with numerous kinds of tension and Ed honestly had no desire to do anything except flee from it.

"Didn't know what?" Izumi snapped, obviously displeased that she was out of the loop and concerned about what was happening in front of her.

"What did Heinkel mean when he said you used your life-span as a stone to heal yourself?" Al asked and Ed winced at the tremble in his little brother's voice.

Izumi's, Sig's and Hawkeye's gasps joined ones from the pilots of Voltron and all of them caused Ed to flinch slightly. "When I fought Kimblee in Baschool after Al and I separated so he could warn Winry, Scar, and the rest of them that Fort Briggs was no longer safe for them to head to, Kimblee caused the mine shaft to collapse while Heinkel, Darius and I were still in it," Ed told them, his left hand clutching at Blue's fur as he kept himself from backing out.

" _You can do this, cub,"_ Black told him as the other Lions did their best to comfort and surround him just in case.

"We know about that," Mustang said, his voice forcibly level and Ed couldn't hold back a flinch at the sound of it.

"I was hurt," Ed told them. "Badly hurt," he added before someone could interrupt him. "A thin support beam impaled my left side," he told them, grimacing at exclamations and other noises coming from those around him and hadn't been in that mine shaft with him. "Darius and Heinkel were trapped under some rubble and were being slowly crushed to death. I used alchemy to sever as much of the beam as possible and to free the two of them. In repayment, they helped pull the remaining part of the beam out of my gut," he told them, eyes still on the ground.

"That kind of injury should've killed you almost immediately. You shouldn't have even survived it being pulled out." Ed wished he could've been surprised when he heard Havoc's voice from somewhere near where Mustang and Hawkeye were standing.

"Yeah, it should've," Ed said with a humourless chuckle. "But us Elrics are tough to kill," he repeated the words he'd said so many times before, "and I'd learnt a couple of things after sacrificing some of Envy's stone to get us out of Gluttony's fake Gate," he told them. "I sacrificed some of my life-span in order to heal my injury enough before I bled out so that Darius and Heinkel could get me to a doctor who could finish patching me up," Ed explained. He took a deep breath before he made himself look up at meet the eyes of his brother, teacher, and commanding officer. "I couldn't die. Not when Father was still alive and needed to be dealt with," he said, voice far firmer than it had been during the past few minutes.

Heinkel and Darius both looked extremely uncomfortable and a bit guilty at the fact that their innocent desire to check on their friend had been the cause of this scene in front of them. Al looked like he was about to go into shock while both Hawkeye and Mustang's impassive masks were broken by fury and grief, respectively. Izumi, to Ed's surprise, had a couple of tears clinging to her eyelashes and she looked as though she was fighting to not shed anymore while Sig looked like he was trying not to wrap Ed up in a hug and never let him go. Havoc looked pale and distraught, like he couldn't believe Ed had gone through something like that and he'd been none the wiser. Ed didn't have to look behind him to know that the humans of Voltron would've all been looking much the same as everyone else.

"Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell _me_?" Al asked, gasping through the sobs threatening to sound as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

"When would I have had the chance?" Ed asked. "It took me two months to heal enough that the doctor would even let me out of his house, despite the fact that he really wanted us gone. Almost immediately after that, Darius, Heinkel, Greed and I had to go into hiding for nearly a month until Promised Day. You then got yourself trapped in that dome with Pride and then we were all fighting against Father," Ed said. "You were so weak after waking up from your coma that the doctors actually argued with me about what I could tell you because they worried that any kind of stress would stop your heart," Ed said, his voice growing quieter. "Then I saw how you reacted when we got the word that Hohenheim died. I couldn't tell you then," he told him. "By the time I'd considered telling you, it had been well over eight months since the fight in Baschool. It had been so long and I'd made my peace with it. What would've been the point of telling you and causing you to react like this when there was nothing you would've been able to do?" Ed asked.

"I wouldn't have found out like this!" Al snapped, his eyes blazing with anger even as more tears ran down his cheeks. "I wouldn't have found out because Darius and Heinkel didn't realise we didn't know! Dammit, Ed! You should've told us!"

"So you could react like this and spend months trying to figure out a way to fix what I'd done?" Ed asked, sounding a little tired already. "Al, there is _nothing_ you can do about it and I know exactly what you're like. You wouldn't have accepted that and you would've killed yourself trying to save me and that is _exactly_ what I didn't want to happen," Ed told him.

"How many?" Izumi asked, cutting Al off without the slightest regret. "How many years did you sacrifice in a stunt that stupid?" Izumi asked, eyes blazing as dangerously as Al's had.

"I don't know," Ed admitted, causing both Izumi and Al to choke down another sob each. "It was probably one of the worst injuries I'd ever gotten and I only managed to heal it enough for Heinkel and Darius to get me out of the mountain and to the nearest town. I can't imagine the number of years I gave up for that would be a small number," he admitted. The noise Al made tore at Ed's heart and he wanted nothing in that moment other than to make it so Al wasn't feeling like that anymore but he knew any attempt to comfort him would result in Al lashing out at him.

"This," Mustang started saying before he cut himself off and Ed was shocked to realise that Mustang was fighting his own emotions so that he wouldn't give any indication to those around them that something upsetting had happened. Mustang cleared his throat and started speaking again. "This isn't the place for this conversation," he said firmly. "There are too many people who can overhear us and this is a conversation that needs to happen in far more detail than what we can manage now," he told them. Taking a deep breath that was obviously meant to steel himself, Mustang continued. "We will be talking about this later. Perhaps not tonight or tomorrow as we'll be too busy with the memorial service but we will be speaking about this," Mustang said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Ed didn't put up a fight as Mustang pinned him with a glare that told him that the blonde didn't have a choice though he did strengthen his grip in Blue's fur. He was not looking forward to that discussion but knew he could do nothing to escape it. Instead, he nodded to show his agreement and Mustang seemed to deem it good enough. Al looked like he wanted to argue against the general but a firm look from Mustang had him back down enough that Ed knew he would listen to the flame alchemist. Both Izumi and Sig looked torn about following Mustang's suggestions but they did, giving Ed a look that he couldn't decipher before they headed back to what they'd been doing before they realised something had been going on.

Darius and Heinkel watched as Havoc, Hawkeye, and Mustang headed away from the group before they too went to head back to their self-assigned jobs. "Sorry, kid," Darius said before he left and Ed gave him a small smile.

"Not your fault," Ed told him quietly before he nodded to Heinkel's silent inquiry about whether he was alright. Both chimeras were quick to leave the brothers and Voltron by themselves and Ed knew that the humans of Voltron were silently debating about whether they should leave as well to give the brothers as much space as possible.

Ed was completely unsurprised but still hurt when Al didn't do anything more than shake his head and join Izumi and Sig in what they were doing, apparently deciding that ignoring his older brother was the best way to make sure that he didn't disobey Mustang's order to leave this discussion for a later time. He felt a head butt against his shoulder blades and turned to face Red, who was looking as distraught as the rest of Voltron. A quick glance at the Paladins told him that both Lance and Hunk had been crying, though they'd managed to stop and wipe away the tears to try and hide the fact, while Pidge and Keith looked furious and heartbroken. Shiro looked the exact same way Ed knew he and Al had looked when they were told that their mother was dying and wouldn't recover.

"We need to get back to work," Ed told them, his voice somehow both tired and empty at the same time.

Both Lance and Hunk got exactly one word of protest out before Shiro cut them off. "Ed's right," he said, earning himself a glare from the two Paladins. "We promised Fuhrer Grumman that we would help set up the courtyard for tomorrow and you all heard Mustang. This is something that will be discussed in a far more private setting once everyone has had a chance to calm down," Shiro said, his tone informing them that he wouldn't be arguing about this and he expected them not to either.

It was obvious they didn't want to but, much to Ed's relief, the two Paladins backed down. Neither Pidge nor Keith had spoken a word but they didn't look like they were planning on interrogating the blonde on the spot, which Ed was glad about because he didn't think those two would be a team he'd want to be interrogated by. The four younger Paladins eventually moved away to continue doing what work they had been before their Lions alerted them to something happening with Ed but Shiro stayed behind.

"Are you alright?" Shiro asked as the blonde felt a tear roll down his cheek before he could stop it.

"I'm fine," Ed said, angrily swiping the small drop of liquid from his cheek and feeling his desire to just curl up or punch something rise inside of him before he forced it back down.

Shiro looked at him knowingly before he stepped in between Green and Black so he could draw Ed into a one-armed hug that would've looked like a simple friendly gesture rather than the act of comfort it was. "No you're not," Shiro said with a small sigh as he squeezed Ed closer against him.

" _But you will be,"_ Black said, her voice echoing slightly in Shiro's mind as she spoke to Ed. _"They're just scared and confused and angry that you kept this hidden. It might hurt for a little bit but they won't stay like that for long after you've told them everything and answered as many questions as you can,"_ she told him, voice confident.

Ed nodded even as he swiped at his cheek again, ridding himself of another tear before it could the full journey down his cheek. "Yeah," he said in agreement.

Shiro knew that the blonde didn't fully believe his Lion but he would've been far more surprised if he had. Sighing internally, Shiro tightened the hug a bit more before he used his grip to lead Ed towards the rest of Voltron, determined to get the blonde's mind off of what happened, even it was just for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's 29 for you all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Thank you to those of you who have been kind enough to leave me comments on previous chapters :) I really appreciate it xx See you all next week!


	30. Chapter 30

Ed stood in front of the stage where he and all the others being honoured today during the memorial service would be seated. He couldn't pretend he wasn't upset by the fact that Al wasn't speaking to him still and had chosen to stay close to Izumi and Sig once they were in the courtyard. It had been an extremely awkward dinner last night. Neither Gracia nor Elysia had missed the fact that something massive had happened between the brothers or the fact that whatever it was wasn't good but, much to Ed's relief, Gracia never asked and Elysia was satisfied with a generic response of how he and Al had had a fight that afternoon. The young girl had told them it wasn't good to fight and that they should try and resolve it, to which Ed had told her they likely would soon. Gracia didn't look like she fully believed it would happen as soon as Ed had implied but she was willing to let it go, at least until Elysia was in bed that night.

Once the young girl was, Gracia had demanded to know what had happened between the two of them. Al hadn't answered her, just shot Ed a look before he headed for their room to grab his pyjamas so he could go into the bathroom and shower. Ed hadn't been surprised by his little brother's actions and he'd told Gracia that something he'd done 15 months ago to save his own life and hadn't told anyone about had been brought up and that Al wasn't taking it well. Gracia hadn't been satisfied with that answer and had asked what exactly Ed had done that was so bad that Al would act the way he was. Shiro and Lance hadn't looked thrilled to be hearing Ed's answer for the second time but it had nothing on Gracia's immediate tearful reaction.

The Hughes matriarch had pulled Ed into a hug so tight that Ed was a little worried she'd accidentally snap a rib. It took a few moments for Gracia to gather herself enough to ask Ed to explain everything but Ed had shaken his head, telling her that he'd already promised everyone else that he would be answering their questions soon enough and that he didn't want to do so twice. Gracia hadn't been happy but she'd managed to convince Ed to let her know when that conversation was going to take place so she could be there. Ed had agreed but only when Gracia had promised that Elysia wouldn't be there to hear it. He didn't want his little sister to hear about what he'd done in that Baschool mine shaft.

"Big brother Ed?" Elysia's voice brought Ed out of his thoughts and he looked down at her, giving her a big smile.

"What's up, El?" he asked as he gave into her silent request to be picked up. He took the opportunity to look around and see where everyone else was while he did so.

As Ed had thought, Al was still with Izumi and Sig, who were currently talking to Mei and Xao-Mei. Ling and Lan Fan were speaking with Fuhrer Grumman, who was also speaking with Scar and the Ishvalen elders who had arrived on the last train from Resembool the previous night, Scar having come earlier to attend the meeting with Grumman. General Armstrong was speaking with Major Miles, using him as a convenient excuse to escape her family, including Major Armstrong. Ross and Rebecca were with the majority of Mustang's team, speaking quietly amongst one another. The chimeras were watching both Ed and Al carefully and Ed knew that Darius or Heinkel had told Zampano and Jerso what had happened the previous afternoon. Gracia was speaking with Hawkeye and Mustang, likely trying to get Mustang to tell her when the discussion with Ed would take place and Voltron had been entertaining Elysia, at least until the young girl decided she wanted her big brother and had left them to stand a little awkwardly off to the side.

"Why did you sleep in the loungeroom last night?" Elysia asked as they stayed in front of the stage area, mainly so Ed didn't have to talk to anyone.

Ed sighed through his nose lightly. Al still hadn't been talking to him by the time Ed had gone for his own shower and since the eldest Elric couldn't stand the cold shoulder and he didn't want to cause an argument, he'd asked Lance if he wouldn't mind switching beds. The Blue Paladin had looked like he wanted to repeat Elysia's words from dinner but had held himself back from doing so and agreed to the request, much to Ed's relief. Ed had thought he'd been up early enough for Elysia not to notice the different sleeping arrangements but evidently he'd been wrong.

"Al and I haven't been able to fix what happened between us yesterday. I think we're gonna talk after all of this is over today so maybe it'll be fixed tonight," Ed told her. Elysia didn't look too happy about the fact that her brothers were still arguing but she gave a small nod. Her eyes lit up at something she could see over Ed's shoulder before they seemed to dull into confusion and a touch of fear but Ed knew exactly what it was. He couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face when five loud, warning growls sounded while a Lion pressed against his back and the grin only stretched further at the shriek emitted by his childhood friend. "You should've figured that coming at me like that wouldn't have ended well with them around," Ed told Winry as he faced her, shifting Elysia so she was on his hip rather than clinging to his front so she could see everything.

Winry was looking at the five Lions currently standing in front of Ed and blocking her from getting near him with a mixture of fear, wariness and awe. His words registered and she turned blazing blue eyes on him. "Why the hell did they almost attack me? I didn't do anything!" Winry claimed as she glared at Ed, who raised an unimpressed brow.

"So you weren't gonna hit me or something for some reason you think is justified?" Ed asked, knowing full well that had likely been his childhood friend's plan. He didn't need the Lions' confirmation to know it either.

"Well you would deserve it! You're the one who went up against a war criminal and put my precious automail at risk again!" Winry told him, scowling when the Lions didn't seem impressed by her answer.

"Actually, no I didn't," Ed told her. "They did," he said, nodding to the humans of Voltron, most of whom were looking like they were tossing up whether they should stop their Lions from acting so threatening or not, "while my job was freeing two of the Lions and their humans and taking down those holding them hostage. I never got so much as a scratch on any part of me so whatever you'd been about to do as payback or whatever for getting into a fight – which, let me remind you, is my job – wouldn't have been justified," Ed informed her bluntly. As much as he cared about Winry, he didn't have the patience or energy needed to put up with her usual behaviour today and his care level at how blunt he sounded was below zero. "Not to mention that you saw I had Elysia and my back was to you. What if I'd moved and you'd accidentally gotten her instead? Or what if I'd sensed something coming at me and moved to protect both me and her and you got hurt?" Ed asked, brow raised questioningly.

Winry puffed up, ready to defend herself when another voice spoke. "He's right, Winry," Pinako said as she joined them, puffing on her pipe. She smiled at Elysia, who waved in greeting from where she was perched on Ed's hip. "Not to mention you almost attacked a highly-respected State Alchemist in front of plenty of soldiers who are on high alert for any kind of attack considering how many big wigs are in attendance," Pinako continued saying, ignoring the slightly shocked noise Winry had made.

Winry's eyes widened as she allowed Pinako's words to sink in and Ed almost rolled his eyes as she took in the extra security measures Grumman had implemented, including soldiers whose sole job was to keep an eye out for any kind of danger to those in the courtyard. Ed glanced at Voltron, who now seemed to be watching Winry intently since she was no longer acting in a way that would seem threatening to an outside party towards Ed. The Lions still hadn't shifted from their spots in front of the blonde alchemist and Ed was mildly curious as to whether they planned on it. He noticed Pinako's shrewd eyes glance off to his side before they came back to Ed while Winry was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she'd almost gotten herself arrested or shot because she hadn't thought her actions through enough.

"What's going on between you and Alphonse?" Pinako asked. She didn't react to the way Ed seemed to tighten his grip on Elysia, nor how both the Lions and humans of Voltron seemed to move a bit closer to the young blonde in question. Winry blinked as she looked between her two best friends and realised for the first time that they weren't standing together or in fact acting like the other was even nearby.

"Something I hadn't told him about was revealed when Darius and Heinkel asked me about it yesterday," Ed told them, voice a touch stiff and defensive. "No one outside of me, Darius, Heinkel and two others actually knew about it and Al's not happy with the information or the fact that I kept it from him," he said. Winry opened her mouth, likely to demand to know what it was but Ed's glare made her shut it. "I'm not talking about it in front of the public," he informed her, though the flick of his eyes to Elysia told the two Rockbell women that she was the main reason Ed wasn't speaking about it with them right now.

"Fine," Winry huffed before she glanced at Alphonse once more. "Introduce me to your friends so I can go and say hello to Al," Winry ordered, causing Ed to roll his eyes at her. He knew exactly why Winry wanted to go and speak with Al and it wasn't just to say hello.

"This is Voltron, a specialised team who accidentally found themselves in the Ishvalen desert after the war criminal they were hunting down used a power they had no knowledge of," Ed said, sticking to the cover story Voltron had created back in Ishval before he actually got to the introduction part. "Guys, this is Winry, my childhood friend and automail mechanic," he said, looking over his shoulder at the pilots of Voltron before he looked down at the Lions. "You don't have to keep guarding me, you know. I think she's learned her lesson," Ed said, a smirk curving at the corners of his lips when he heard Winry's huff.

" _We know but we're still gonna,"_ Green informed him, her eyes still on Winry as though she expected the blonde mechanic to try something.

Ed didn't bother to argue against them, knowing just how futile it would be. Winry was skirting around them cautiously as she approached Elysia. "Hi, Elysia. I'm sorry if I scared you before," Winry said once she'd given the young girl a kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay, big sissy Winry!" Elysia chirped cheerfully. Though she had never seen Winry attack Edward in her usual manner, she had heard her big brother complain about it plenty of times so she knew that Winry wasn't really going to hurt her big brother badly.

There was a warning growl from Red as Winry took a step back, almost stepping on her tail. "Are they going to get over what I was going to do any time soon?" Winry asked as she navigated her way back to Pinako's side. The Lions didn't look pleased with her complaining.

"It's taken them nearly six months to warm up enough to Mustang that they no longer watch him like a hawk when he's near them and me and he hadn't tried to attack me when they first saw him," Ed told her, leaving her to read between the lines. The small scowl on her face told Ed she'd managed to do so fairly quickly.

"It was really nice to meet you and I hope we get the chance to actually talk later on but I'm gonna go and say hello to my other idiot best friend before the ceremony gets started," Winry said after a few moments of her trying to figure out a way to get the Lions on her good side.

"So do we, Miss Winry," Shiro said honestly. Despite the less than impressive first meeting, he certainly wouldn't mind speaking with Ed and Al's childhood best friend a little more. There was huff in his mind that told him that Black wasn't as enthusiastic about it but he decided to ignore it. All of the Lions could be very petty when it came to their behaviour regarding someone they felt had slighted them or someone they care about.

Winry gave Ed a look that had the blonde rolling his eyes but nodding in agreement to whatever it is. Seemingly happy by that, Winry waved to Elysia before she headed for Alphonse, apparently not even slightly phased by the looks she was getting from those who'd been close enough to hear the exchange between Ed and the two Rockbell women. As he watched her head over to Alphonse, Ed noted that Grumman was directing soldiers and a quick glance at his pocket watch told him that the ceremony would be starting shortly.

"Looks like everything's gonna start soon," Ed told them all. "Do you remember what Fuhrer Grumman told us when we first arrived this morning?" he asked Elysia, who nodded energetically enough that her ponytails nearly hit Ed in the face.

"We're gonna go on the big stage and be in front of lotsa people while the Fuhrer talks about Promised Day and gives you and big brother Al and Uncle Roy and everyone else who made the bad guy go away some presents," she repeated as she went through the instructions Grumman had given her and Gracia that morning. "Afta' that, he's gonna give Mama something because Daddy did something really important 'fore he was gone. Then me and Mama can choose whether we're gonna stay with you on the big stage or if we wanna go sit with Granny and big sissy Winry and the Lions and their humans," she said, nodding to herself as she spoke.

Ed gave Elysia a tighter hug before he let go of her. "That's exactly right. You did so good remembering all of that," he praised her, making Elysia flush a little.

"Where are they gonna sit?" Pinako asked, gesturing with her pipe to the Lions still around Ed and the humans standing just behind him.

"Grumman said he'd try and arrange it so they're near you and Winry but on the edge of the seating section so the Lions aren't cramped up in the rows," Ed told her. A streak of black caught his attention and his golden eyes followed Li Jun as he took up his chosen position. His attention was brought back to the ground when the sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard nearby. "What is it?" Ed asked the soldier once he realised it had been her who'd made the noise and had dismissed her from her salute.

"I've been tasked with showing Mrs. Rockbell and our diplomatic guests to their seats as well as informing you that Fuhrer Grumman would like you and Miss Elysia to start making your way up the stage," she told him. Despite her only being a captain, there was none of the nervousness in her voice or body language that Ed was so used to seeing from people of lower-rank than him and who'd never actually spoken to him before and he found himself wishing all the soldiers could be like this one.

"Thank you for letting us know," Ed said, dipping his head at her before he turned to Voltron. "You guys should get going. I don't think the Fuhrer would appreciate it if you held up the memorial service from starting," he said, speaking mainly to the Lions, who all rolled their eyes at him but did leave his side to join back up with their humans.

"We'll see you after the ceremony," Lance said, giving Ed's shoulder a squeeze as he and the rest of Voltron passed Ed to join the captain tasked with showing them their seats.

"Will do," Ed told him, giving him a smile before he nodded to Pinako and watched them start following the soldier to their seats, stopping only to collect Winry along the way. "You ready to go on the stage, kiddo?" Ed asked the young girl still clinging to him.

"Uh-huh," she told him, eyes now fixed on the stage.

"Are you gonna walk up there by yourself or am I carrying you?" Ed asked as he slowly made his way towards the staircase sitting next to the stage to make getting on it easier.

"Mama said I'm not allowed to get my dress dirty or torn so can you carry me, big brother?" Elysia asked as she eyes the steps dubiously.

"Course I can," he told her, adjusting his grip on her slightly. He didn't want to risk Gracia's displeasure if Elysia did manage to trip on her way up to the stage. Even though he could mend the dress or clean it easily with alchemy, Gracia still wouldn't have been impressed.

"Thanks, big brother," Elysia said as she curled up against his shoulder, watching everyone as they walked past them.

Ed didn't say anything to Mustang or Hawkeye when he joined them, though he did smile at Hawkeye's silent 'are you alright?' look. Gracia didn't seem surprised that Elysia had managed to talk Ed into carrying her and Ed huffed a little when Gracia tried to straighten his jackets for him. Al, Izumi and Sig followed the four of them up the staircase but none of them spoke a word to Ed and the blonde couldn't help but grimace at that. It meant that Izumi was still upset and that never ended well for him. Sig likely didn't know what to do or say but Ed was certain he felt the bigger man's hand graze his back as Samantha directed them to the chairs they'd be sitting in.

"Now, are you going to be sitting with your big brother or your mother, Elysia?" Samantha asked after she'd finished directing the chimeras and Scar to sit next to each other with Mei, Ling and Lan Fan on Scar's other side.

Elysia contemplated her choices. "Can big brother Ed sit next to Mama?" she asked finally.

Samantha smiled at her. "That can be arranged," she promised before she set her sights on Mustang and his team. "You'll be sitting in the front row with Master Sergeant Fuery on the end and working your way up by ranks. General Mustang will be sitting in the middle with Lieutenant-Colonel Elric on his left, Gracia next to him and Alphonse on Gracia's other side, if that's alright with you, Alphonse?" Samantha asked and received a nod from the blonde in question. Samantha gave him a thankful smile before her attention was grabbed by the Armstrong siblings, Lieutenant Ross and Rebecca joining them on the stage.

Armed with their orders, everyone took their seats, though Ed did so a little apprehensively. Mustang hadn't spoken a word to him since the previous afternoon and Ed wasn't looking forward to sitting next to someone who was still angry with him. Elysia seemed to be perfectly happy with the arrangements since it meant she was next to her uncle and her mother while on one of her big brother's laps so Ed buried down his feelings on the matter so Elysia wouldn't sense them. Gracia squeezed his left arm slightly before she turned to Al and spoke in a voice low enough that Ed couldn't make out what she was saying with Samantha currently directing the last of the group into their seats.

Ed watched everyone down in the seating area in front of the stage mill around as they all tried finding their seats. It was easy to spot the Lions sitting on the outer edge of the front half of the seats set up on Ed's right and it only took Ed a couple more moments to spot the Paladins, Pinako and Winry in their seats. Winry and Pinako were sitting together with Hunk on the end of the row. Behind Hunk and Winry were Lance and Pidge and in the row behind them were Shiro and Keith, creating a human barrier between the other civilians and the Lions. Ed thought it was pretty clever of Grumman to arrange the seating that way. Most of Central was used to the idea of the Lions being around but that didn't mean they would've been comfortable with having them sitting right next to them. Now they would have at least two humans between them and the Lions.

" _Are you doing okay? You don't seem very comfortable,"_ Blue asked, eyes fixed on him from where she lay next to Lance and Green.

"Yeah. Not thrilled about the seating arrangements considering what went down yesterday but I've survived worse," Ed told her, a small smirk on his face that was hidden by Elysia.

Unsurprisingly, none of the Lions seemed impressed by his attempts to dismiss their concerns. _"We'll be there when you have to talk about it, you know. We'll make sure none of them do or say anything stupid and that they'll regret later,"_ Red told him, her earnest tone forcing Ed to fight down a blush.

"I think I'll need you there as my bodyguards. Especially when Winry finds out," Ed said, his tone equally joking and serious. "Thanks, guys," Ed whispered, even though they were speaking through their bond. Movement to his left had his eyes flicking in that direction and watching Samantha nod to Grumman, silently telling him everything was ready. "Guess we'd better pay attention," he said with a small sigh, earning himself several chuckles before the Lions pulled away from the bond so Ed could listen to Grumman address Amestris.

Grumman stood behind the podium and gazed out at those who were seated in front of him. He waited a few moments for the movement in the seats to settle down before he started speaking. "One year ago today, Amestris faced a threat that no one but a handful of people knew was coming," he said, his voice clear and level. "A year ago, our late Fuhrer, King Bradley, was ousted as a traitor to our military and, more importantly, our country. A year ago, Central Command and the surrounding area became a warzone as our military fought against itself while confusion and fear ran rampant throughout the citizens of Amestris. A year ago, Brigadier-General Mustang led a coup d'état against the traitors sitting in the military high command while Lieutenant-Colonel Elric led a handful of people into Central to locate and take out the true mastermind behind what has become known as Promised Day. A year ago today we lost thousands of lives throughout Amestris due to the machinations of one being who desired a power that didn't belong to it." There was nothing but silence as Grumman's words rang out over those present and Ed tightened his grip a little on the now subdued Elysia.

"Over a year and a half ago, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and his brother uncovered the illegal experimentations happening in Laboratory Five but before they could investigate anything further, the laboratory was destroyed while Lieutenant-Colonel Elric was inside it. As he recovered from the injuries he sustained, Brigadier-General Maes Hughes and Major Alex Louise Armstrong took his and his brother's, Alphonse Elric, statements and started an investigation of their own," Grumman said. Ed could feel Gracia move next to him and he didn't bother trying to hide the fact that he grabbed her hand to squeeze it. "Using his position as Fuhrer, Bradley ordered the four of them to drop their investigation, giving them a story that he was running his own internal investigation and would call upon them when he required their aid as his reason," Grumman continued.

"Going against his orders in order to follow his instincts, Brigadier-General Hughes continued digging further into the beings Lieutenant-Colonel Elric had identified as homunculi," Grumman said. Ed felt the familiar wave of guilt and self-hate roll through him as Grumman spoke but the Lions were quick to replace it with their love and support. Because he was sitting on his right, Ed never noticed Mustang touching his arm in a show of support but the keen eyes of the Lions didn't miss the action. "Determined to protect the Elric brothers – whom he and his family had grown close too – and to solve the mystery in front of him, Brigadier-General Hughes eventually uncovered a vital piece of information that he knew was important enough that the homunculi wouldn't want it known," Grumman told them. "In his attempts to get that piece of information to Brigadier-General Roy Mustang, the one person he felt he could trust, Brigadier-General Hughes became the first person to be silenced in order to keep the plans for Promised Day a secret," Grumman said.

Elysia wriggled on Ed's lap and he let his eyes fall to her to see what was wrong only to find himself looking at her reaching for his and Gracia's joined hands so she could offer her mother and big brother what comfort she could. Gracia's eyes were glistening but no tears were falling just yet and, not for the first time, Ed found himself admiring Gracia's strength. He forced his attention back onto Grumman, who had now moved on to recount the fight between Al, Ed, Izumi and the Greed they'd faced in Dublith and how Major Armstrong and Wrath had joined the brothers in Dublith. Ed let Grumman's voice wash over him as the man continued relaying the events that had led up to the battle for Amestris – including the true story behind the slaughter of Ishval – that took place exactly one year ago in the courtyard they were currently in.

* * *

It took nearly half an hour for Grumman to reach the final battle between Ed and Father and the ultimate sacrifice Greed had made to ensure Ed won the battle. "The homunculous, Greed, gave up his immortality and therefore his life in order to create a weakness in his creator that Lieutenant-Colonel Elric was able to exploit. In doing so, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric ended the life of Father and secured Amestris' victory, enabling all of us here today to survive past that fateful day one year ago," Grumman said, no small amount of pride in his voice. He paused for a few moments before he continued. "Today is not just a day to remember those lives we lost because of a power-hungry being's desire to rule the world but it is also a day to officially recognise and honour those amongst us that without whom, we would simply not be here," Grumman said.

Even though he'd been expecting it, Ed still felt the mix of annoyance and nervousness build up in him as he realised that in a matter of minutes, he would need to walk across the stage and accept the medal Grumman would offer him. Grumman's voice managed to cut through his thoughts yet again and Ed forced himself to use the time it took for him be announced to calm down.

"The first person I'd like to honour today is 1st Lieutenant Maria Ross. Falsely accused of causing Brigadier-General Hughes' death, Lieutenant Ross found herself in a jail cell and robbed of her right to a fair trial," Grumman explained and Ed saw Maria straighten slightly. "Thanks to the help given by some of those who knew of her innocence, Lieutenant Ross was able to escape Central before she was sentenced to death. Because of the fact that her death had been faked in order to keep her safe, Lieutenant Ross was in the unique position of being able to aid those who fought for Amestris a year ago smuggle weapons into the city without fear that she would be caught. Even though her only task was to help arm those fighting for us, Lieutenant Ross proceeded to arm herself and join in the fight to try and save innocent lives," Grumman said, looking at Ross, who was now on her feet and crossing the stage to accept her medal. "Because of your actions on Promised Day and in the weeks before helping plan the coup, it is my honour to present you with this medal," Grumman said, his voice a touch quieter since he was turned away from the microphone but Ed knew his voice still carried over everyone as he saluted her.

Ross immediately returned the salute as she accepted the velvet box containing the medal Grumman had presented her. "It was my honour to defend our country, Fuhrer Grumman," Ross said as Grumman nodded to her to lower her salute.

With a final nod, Grumman dismissed her and Ross headed back to her seat. Ed flashed her a smile that she returned while Grumman spoke once more into the microphone. "The next person who I would like to honour today is 2nd Lieutenant Rebecca Catalina, who risked her safety to act as a messenger between myself and numerous allies to ensure important information reached them in time," Grumman said and Rebecca straightened in her seat, ready for the cue from Samantha. "Not only that but Lieutenant Catalina also joined Lieutenant Ross in supplying weapons to our forces and helped Brigadier-General Mustang and some of his soldiers get closer to Central Command when they were pinned down," he told everyone as Rebecca received the nod and started her walk towards Grumman where they went through the same motions Grumman and Rebecca had done. "Because of your willingness to risk your life to act as a messenger and join Lieutenant Ross, it is my honour to present you this medal." As Maria had done barely a minute before, Rebecca saluted Grumman, who mimicked her, as she accepted the medal.

Rebecca – knowing first hand that Ed didn't like the whole idea of accepting a medal in front of a crowd – winked at the blonde, earning herself an eyeroll, as she passed him. He was still shaking his head when Grumman announced the next person to be presented their medal. "The next person who I have decided to award this medal to is Sig Curtis," Grumman announced. "Though he wasn't part of our military and therefore had no reason to help us, Mr. Curtis did so in order to protect his wife, Izumi, and her students, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Alphonse Elric. His aid on Promised Day saw the end brought to the homunculous, Sloth, with the aid of his wife, Major Alex Louise Armstrong and Lieutenant-General Olivier Mira Armstrong," Grumman said and Ed grinned up at Sig as he walked towards Grumman as Samantha's nod. "On behalf of Amestris, I would like to thank you for your assistance on Promised Day," Grumman said as he shook Sig's hand.

"It was my honour, Fuhrer Grumman," Sig rumbled as he accepted the velvet box. A final smile and nod had Sig walking back towards Izumi, though he made sure to give both Elrics a smile as he did so.

"Major Alex Louise Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist, not only uncovered information after the collapse of the Fifth Laboratory but he also aided Brigadier-General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric in uncovering further information. On Promised Day, he joined our coup and fought to protect our country, fighting against a homunculous whilst heavily injured. Given only a few minutes to rest, Major Armstrong didn't hesitate to join Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Alphonse Elric, Izumi Curtis, Van Hohenheim, Brigadier-General Mustang and several others in trying to take down Father when he was forced aboveground," Grumman recounted. Ed swore he could _feel_ Armstrong trying to keep his emotions in check as he walked towards Grumman. "Thank you for your aid on Promised Day, Major Armstrong," Grumman said as he saluted the emotive man and presented him the medal.

"It was my honour to assist those in fighting for our country, Your Excellency," Armstrong said, his voice far lower than Ed had truly been expecting.

Rather than turn back to the microphone immediately, Grumman nodded to Samantha, who in turn got to her feet and joined him on stage. "The next four individuals I would like to honour during this ceremony are Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, 2nd Lieutenant Vato Falman, and 1st Lieutenants Heymans Breda and Jean Havoc," Grumman said. The four men in question were beckoned to Grumman's side by Samantha, who was now holding four small velvet boxes. "Sergeant Kain Fuery was instrumental in ensuring those on our side were able to stay in communication with one another and he helped keep the radio broadcast by Mrs. Bradley on the air," Grumman said before he took a box from Samantha, saluted Fuery and turned back to the microphone. "Lieutenant Falman aided our troops from Fort Briggs in fortifying Central Command, preventing our enemy from breaching the outer walls and from leaving the base. Even when he was faced by King Bradley, Lieutenant Falman never wavered in his duty and held the northern gates firmly closed," Grumman told them all as he mimicked what he'd done with Fuery with Falman.

"Lieutenant Breda assisted Brigadier-General Mustang and Lieutenant-Colonel Elric in gathering information for the plans for the coup d'état and he ensured that the radio station who was broadcasting live on Promised Day wouldn't be overtaken by enemy soldiers," Grumman said, presenting Breda with his medal before he once again turned to the microphone for the last presentation in this group. "Lieutenant Havoc, despite being grievously injured in his fight against the homunculous, Lust, and retired from the military, was able to supply our side with the weapons needed to help us gain our victory," Grumman said before he presented Havoc his medal. "It was my honour to present the four of you with these medals and on behalf of the military, I'd like to thank you for your actions on the Promised Day," Grumman said as he saluted all four of them.

The four men nodded as they returned the salutes, holding their velvet boxes in their left hands. Grumman dismissed them with a nod and the four made their way back to their seats, exchanging winks and grins with Ed, Elysia and Mustang as they did so. Samantha had moved back to her seat just before Grumman started talking once more. "Captain Riza Hawkeye not only used her position as Fuhrer Bradley's personal assistant to aide Brigadier-General Mustang and myself in gathering information against him – at great personal risk to herself – but she also uncovered the identity of the last homunculous in doing so. Joining General Mustang on the front lines, she eventually assisted Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Scar and those with them in the initial fight against the white abominations created by the traitors within the military," Grumman said, standing tall as he spoke proudly about his granddaughter's actions. "She almost paid the ultimate price for her loyalty to her country during the fight between General Mustang, Scar, Darius, Zampano, Jerso and the brainwashed victims of Father's. Thanks to the actions of Princess Mei Chang, who utilised her alkahestry to do so, Captain Hawkeye's grievous injury was healed enough to ensure she was able to receive medical help when she could," Grumman said. It wasn't obvious to most everyone but to those who knew Grumman's tells, they could see the emotions he was trying to hide as the memory of how close they were to losing Hawkeye played on his mind.

Hawkeye was by his side in only a few moments and Ed could see the sympathy and affection in her eyes as she watched her grandfather. "Thank you for this honour, Fuhrer Grumman," Hawkeye said as she saluted the older man.

Grumman returned the salute, though Ed suspected that the old man had really wanted to pull Hawkeye into a hug, and Hawkeye returned to her seat as Grumman moved on to the next person he was awarding. "Lieutenant-General Olivier Mira Armstrong brought with her the full force of Fort Briggs when we asked for her aide in overthrowing the corrupt members of the military," Grumman informed those sitting in front of him and listening over the radio. "At great risk to herself, General Armstrong also offered to – and was successful in – infiltrating the late Fuhrer King Bradley's corrupt inner circle of generals and soon found herself to be our main informant. She played the role so well that none of the corrupt generals suspected her true loyalty lay with Amestris until the morning of Promised Day," Grumman said and Samantha gestured to General Armstrong to stand. "After defeating the generals with her, General Armstrong set up the main communications room for the fighters in Central Command and proceeded to join her brother, Major Alex Louise Armstrong, in fighting against and ultimately defeating the homunculous, Sloth, with the additional aide of Izumi and Sig Curtis," he recounted. Turning to the general, who was now waiting as patiently as Ed had ever seen her do so, Grumman saluted her as he presented her with the medal. "You have not only upheld your family's legacy but you also created one of your own. It is my honour to present you with the medal in recognition of your actions on Promised Day."

"It was my honour to help rid our military of the treacherous dogs we were infested with," Armstrong said and Ed honestly couldn't be surprised at her words. He honestly would've been more surprised if it had been something closer to Hawkeye's or Rebecca's responses.

The female Armstrong didn't bother looking at any of them as she made her way back to her seat while Grumman moved on. "The next four men found out they had been manipulated by the military after fighting against Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Alphonse Elric. Upon learning the truth behind what Bradley and the corrupt generals were planning to do to Amestris, they swiftly joined the Elric brothers in their preparations for Promised Day," Grumman revealed. "Darius, Heinkel, Zampano and Jerso deserted the military once they were told the truth. While Zampano and Jerso joined Alphonse Elric in aiding Scar's and Princess Mei Chang's deciphering of vital notes written by Scar's late brother, Darius and Heinkel joined Lieutenant-Colonel Elric in his preparations. Though given the opportunity to do so, not one of them took the Elric brothers up on their offer to escape Amestris before Promised Day. Rather, they joined them, Van Hohenheim, Emperor Ling and his two guards, Lan Fan and Fu, in facing the homunculi, Pride and Gluttony, the night before Promised Day. Heinkel bravely stayed behind with Alphonse Elric to guard the prison they'd trapped Pride in while the other three joined everyone else in infiltrating Central and getting into the underground tunnel systems," Grumman told them all. Samantha was once again next to Grumman and was now gesturing for the chimeras to join her.

"Once underground, Zampano, Jerso and Darius aided Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Scar in their fight against the white abominations. Once joined by Brigadier-General Mustang, Captain Hawkeye and Princess Mei Chang, they assisted in the fight against the brainwashed victims ordered to fight against them. Despite the injuries they'd gained by that stage, they still joined everyone in the fight against the homunculous, Wrath, - or as all of us knew him, Fuhrer King Bradley – and eventually wounded him enough for Scar to defeat him," Grumman said. Once he'd finished recapping their actions on Promised Day, Grumman presented each of them with their medal, shaking their hands as he did so. "Thank you for your assistance on Promised Day."

"Someone had to make sure the kid didn't get himself injured again before the big fight," Darius said, low enough that the microphone didn't pick up his voice but Ed sure did. Unfortunately for the blonde, he had to settle for glaring at the gorilla chimera rather than flip him off like he wanted to.

Grumman's eyes twinkled as he grinned at them before dismissing them. Ed's glare didn't seem to phase Darius as he walked past the blonde. "The next three people I would like to honour had no reason to assist us like they did. Amestris isn't their country and they had no family living here. However, that didn't stop them from aiding Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Brigadier-General Mustang in their plans to stop Father on Promised Day when they found out about it," Grumman announced. "Emperor Ling Yao was accompanied by his guards, Lan Fan and Fu, when they first met Lieutenant-Colonel Elric in Rush Valley. Although their meeting didn't start off on the right foot, Emperor Ling and his guards were soon helping Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Alphonse Elric in capturing the homunculous, Gluttony, in order to ask it questions regarding the Promised Day. The answers they received led them to Father's lair under Central, where they uncovered further information that proved to be important," Grumman told them all. Samantha was now signalling to the Xingese to make their way across the stage to where she was waiting.

Grumman took the first velvet box from Samantha before he presented it to Ling. "Thank you for aiding our country in our fight to save it," Grumman said as he offered Ling a bow that the emperor returned once Grumman had straightened. The Fuhrer's attention went to Mei next and he gave her a kind smile. "Thank you for coming back to assist us when you had the opportunity to avoid the fighting," he said, presenting her with her medal before he bowed, just as he'd done so for Ling. Once he'd straightened, Grumman took the last box from Samantha and presented it to Lan Fan. "Thank you for helping us succeed in our victory and I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my condolences for the loss of your grandfather," he said to her, bowing once more after she'd accepted the medal.

"Thank you for your kind words, Fuhrer Grumman," Lan Fan said as she returned the gesture.

Grumman gave her a kind smile before Samantha looked significantly at their vacated chairs, a subtle hint for them to head back for them. Ed was certain he saw a small smirk on Grumman's face when not a single one of the Xingese dared to linger next to him after Samantha's silent orders. "The next man who I will be presenting with the medal for their actions on Promised Day is one who has a contentious relationship with Amestris," Grumman said and Ed barely managed to stop himself from looking for Scar. "After losing his home and family in the Ishvalen Civil War, Scar vowed to get justice for his people by exterminating those he saw as responsible for the destruction of Ishval: State Alchemists. Managing to take down nearly two dozen State Alchemists, Scar soon discovered the truth about who was truly behind the destruction of Ishval and he soon found himself trying to uncover everything he could while staying out of the military's eyes. Teaming up with Princess Mei Chang, former State Alchemist, Doctor Timothy Marcoh, and a former lieutenant-colonel, Scar moved north where he encountered the Elric brothers once more," Grumman recounted. "Forming a temporary alliance, Scar escaped the grip of the military with the aid of Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Alphonse Elric and their childhood friend, Winry Rockbell. Once they were joined by Alphonse Elric, they spent their time and energy decoding notes left by Scar's late brother and eventually they uncovered the array that would later be used by Scar on Promised Day to aide our fighters," Grumman said before he turned to grab the next velvet box while Scar approached the podium. "I wish to thank you on behalf of Amestris for your actions on Promised Day."

"My anger was taken out on the wrong people and I owed it to both Amestris and what remained of Ishval to ensure that those who were truly behind the genocide of my people paid for their crimes," Scar told Grumman even as he accepted the medal.

Grumman nodded his head in acknowledgement of Scar's words before he gave him an almost apologetic smile as Samantha gestured for Scar to move back to his seat. Ed was going to have to remember to congratulate Samantha on keeping the ceremony on track after this was all over and done with. He tightened his grip on Elysia, who had been doing a very good job at keeping herself still, despite likely being very bored by now.

"The next woman I would like to call up to receive her medal for her actions on Promised Day is Mrs. Izumi Curtis," Grumman announced. "Mrs. Curtis was one of the five people chosen by Father that he needed to complete his plans for Promised Day. A formidable woman and alchemist, Mrs. Curtis found out about the homunculi and Promised Day from her students, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Alphonse Elric on their first visit to Dublith after the collapse of the Fifth Laboratory. The three of them realised that Mrs. Curtis could very well be a candidate for Father's plans but, rather than flee the country, Mrs. Curtis decided to head north with her husband and use her alchemy to help the Fort Briggs soldiers enter Central Command without being detected. Both she and her husband then joined Lieutenant-General Armstrong and Major Armstrong in defeating the homunculous, Sloth, before she joined the fight against Father both under the city and in this courtyard," Grumman said as Samantha nodded to Izumi, giving her the cue to head for Grumman, which she did. "On behalf of Amestris, it is my honour to present you with this medal as a symbol of your actions on Promised Day," Grumman said as he handed her the velvet box that contained her medal.

"It was my honour to help defend our country against those who wished to see it destroyed," Izumi said as she accepted the box and shook Grumman's hand.

Izumi was quick to leave Grumman's side and head back to her seat next to Sig and Ed was a little ashamed to admit that he "accidentally" avoided her eyes as she walked past by pretending to check on Elysia in that moment. He only lifted his eyes off the young girl when he heard Grumman talking once more. "Just like Izumi Curtis, Alphonse Elric was not officially part of our military but he was granted permission to accompany his brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, on most of his missions. Though they were together for most of the five years of Lieutenant-Colonel Elric's contract with the military, three months before Promised Day, they were forced to split up in order to make their enemy's job of tracking them harder. Braving the bitter cold of the northern weather, Alphonse Elric left his brother in Baschool in order to alert Scar, Princess Mei and their group of the fact that Lieutenant-General Armstrong was no longer at Fort Briggs and therefore the fortress was no longer a safe place for them," Grumman explained to the whole of Amestris. "After helping decode the notes left by Scar's late brother, Alphonse accompanied everyone to an unnamed slum where they spent time figuring out their next move. Several weeks later, Alphonse found himself in Liore with Zampano, Jerso and former Lieutenant-Colonel Yoki where they ran into Van Hohenheim and discovered the date Promised Day would take place. Reuniting with his brother in Kanama, Alphonse was the key player in the plan to trap the homunculous, Pride." At this point, Samantha gestured for Alphonse to start heading towards Grumman.

"Even after Pride escaped, all Alphonse could think of doing was getting to Central as quickly as possible in order to fight by his brother's side and help those fighting on our side. During the fight with Father, Alphonse was instrumental in protecting several allies, including Princess Mei Chang, and saving their lives," Grumman said before he turned to Alphonse and presented him with the velvet box containing his medal. "It is my honour to present you with this medal for your actions on Promised Day," Grumman said, shaking Al's hand as he handed him the medal.

"Thank you for this honour, Fuhrer Grumman," Alphonse said, voice perfectly polite as he accepted the award.

Grumman gave him a smile before he turned back to the podium to announce the next recipient. Alphonse didn't need Samantha to let him know that that was his cue to head back to his seat and as he did so, his eyes met Ed's. The elder Elric was probably far more relieved than he should've been when Al returned his small smile.

"As the leader and main driving force of the coup d'état, Brigadier-General Mustang was an integral part of the Promised Day battle. Using his connections within Central, East City and Fort Briggs, he was able to successfully pull off a revolt, ridding the military of a corrupt Fuhrer and a traitorous high command," Grumman said, his voice ringing over the courtyard once more. Ed saw Elysia twist on his lap to give her uncle a proud smile and he was barely able to hide a soft one of his own at her actions. That didn't mean he was spared from teasing comments from certain Lions and he made sure they knew he was thoroughly unimpressed with their teasing. "Fighting on the front lines to start with, General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye were aided in reaching Central Command by Lieutenants Ross and Catalina, where they then joined Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, Scar, Princess Mei Chang, Zampano, Jerso and Darius in destroying the white abominations the military had released. Once they were dealt with, General Mustang joined the group in fighting against the brainwashed victims of Father and later fought against Wrath before he was kidnapped by Father in order to be used by him for his plans. Though blinded by Father, General Mustang continued to assist in the fight, aided by first Izumi Curtis then Captain Hawkeye. Once his sight was restored, General Mustang returned back to duty and was instrumental in assisting in the cleaning and rebuilding efforts, both here in Central and in Ishval," Grumman told them all as Mustang was silently ordered by Samantha to join the Fuhrer. The twinkle in Grumman's eyes when he turned to face Mustang told Ed that he definitely saw Samantha's actions. "In honour of your actions and sacrifices on Promised Day, I would like to present you with this medal as a symbol of your loyalty to Amestris," Grumman said, saluting Mustang as he handed over the familiar velvet box.

"It was my privilege to be able to fight for my country and protect it and her people from the threats she faced a year ago," Mustang said, saluting Grumman back.

Ed wasn't happy when he saw Grumman dismiss the salute because he knew that it meant it would be his turn. He almost hoped that something would happen to disrupt the ceremony so he could avoid this but he knew that even if it did, Grumman would insist of finishing the memorial service and he would still have to go through with this. Squeezing Elysia to get her attention as Mustang walked back, Ed whispered to her, "You're gonna have to get ready to hop up in a minute because I'll need to go up to the Fuhrer."

"I know, big brother," Elysia whispered back as Mustang settled himself back in the seat next to Ed.

"Without the actions of the next person to be awarded this medal, it is very likely that the plot to destroy our country wouldn't have been uncovered in time," Grumman said and Ed refused to look anywhere other than Elysia's hand, which was now gripping his. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric uncovered the first sign that there was a plot against our country during his investigation of the Fifth Laboratory the night it was destroyed nearly eight months before Promised Day. Once he uncovered that piece of information, he took it upon himself to try and uncover the rest of the plan with only his brother helping him. Eventually, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Brigadier-General Mustang shared the information they had with one another and formed as much of the plan for the coup d'état as they could before Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and his brother went north and disappeared from the military and public's eye for nearly three months," Grumman said. Ed looked up just in time to see Samantha giving him an understanding smile even as she gestured firmly for him to get up and start walking. "After battling against the homunculous, Pride, in Kanama and leaving his brother to help guard him, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric snuck into Central City via the Third Laboratory with Van Hohenheim, Jerso, Zampano, Darius, Scar and Lan Fan accompanying him," Grumman said as Ed nudged Elysia, letting her know he needed to get up now. The young girl hopped off his lap and let him get up before she claimed his seat for her own.

Ed shook his head at her and ruffled her pigtails before he headed for Grumman, who was still talking. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric fought against numerous enemies before Father kidnapped him and tried to enact on his plan. When his plan started to fail and he forced aboveground and into this courtyard, Father tried to eliminate those around him, including Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Izumi Curtis. Saved by the actions of Van Hohenheim, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric joined back in the fight, though his right arm was severely damaged." Ed had joined Grumman by this time and was now standing slightly behind and to the side of the Fuhrer, feeling all of the eyes of those below and behind him on him. "After a long fight, Father was destroyed at the hands of Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, with the aid of the homunculous, Greed, and Amestris was no longer in danger of being destroyed," Grumman recounted before he grabbed one of the last five boxes on the podium and faced Ed. "Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, it is my honour as Fuhrer to present you with this medal in recognition of everything you did in order to save Amestris," Grumman said, handing the velvet box over while he saluted.

Ed saluted him back immediately as he accepted the medal. "Can't say it was fun but I'd do it again if I needed to," Ed told him, his trademark smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Let's hope you never need to," Grumman said, causing Ed to nod in agreement. Movement in the corner of his eye showed Samantha gesturing for Ed to go sit back down and Grumman grinned. "I think you should listen to Samantha before she escorts you back to your seat," he suggested and Ed grinned.

"You're probably right," Ed said before nodding to Grumman once and heading back to his seat so that Grumman could move on to the next part of the memorial service. Elysia was quick to hop up off his seat so he could sit and was just as quick to crawl back into his lap once he was seated. As her insistence, Ed handed Elysia the velvet box so she could hold it.

"There are four people who I will be honouring posthumously today for their actions on Promised Day or in the months before it," Grumman announced. "I would like for Lieutenant-General Armstrong to join me once more to accept the medal being awarded to the late Captain Buccaneer, who gave his life in order to deal a significant blow against the homunculous Wrath," Grumman said. The moment she'd heard her name, Armstrong was on her feet and striding towards Grumman once more. "Captain Buccaneer was an exceptional soldier and the military still feels his loss today," Grumman said as he handed Armstrong the velvet box containing a medal that would be identical to hers but would never be worn by its recipient. Armstrong didn't say anything as she and Grumman saluted each other and she was quick to head back to her seat.

"Next, I would like for Lan Fan to join me once more to accept the medal being awarded to her late grandfather, Fu, who gave his life in much the same way as Captain Buccaneer did. His actions enabled Captain Buccaneer to inflict the damage on Wrath that he did," Grumman said as Lan Fan got to her feet and moving towards Grumman. It was obvious to Ed that Lan Fan had to make herself entrust Ling's safety to Li Jun for the few moments she would be away from his side. "Your grandfather had no reason to stay in Amestris to aid us in our battle and he paid the ultimate price for that aide. I know this certainly isn't enough to make up for his loss but I hope that it helps you remember that Amestris is forever in your grandfather's debt," Grumman said as he bowed to Lan Fan once she'd accepted the medal.

"That is very kind of you to say, Fuhrer Grumman. Thank you for honouring my grandfather," Lan Fan said, mimicking his bow before she returned to her seat, her eyes a little wetter than they had been before.

Grumman turned back to the podium and took a steadying breath. "I now ask for Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and Alphonse Elric to join me once more in order to accept the medal being awarded to their father, Van Hohenheim, without whom the battle for Amestris may have lasted longer than it had and whose countermeasures proved invaluable to our country," Grumman said. Ed had barely a moment to steel himself for this before he had Elysia shift off his lap once more so he could stand and join Alphonse where he stood next to Grumman. "Your father may not have lost his life during the Promised Day battle but he did lose it as a direct result of the battle and his role in it," Grumman said as he presented the medal. Even though they hadn't discussed this last night since they weren't talking to one another, Al didn't hesitate to reach for the medal and Ed didn't shift to give any indication that he wanted to take it.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Alphonse said as he shook Grumman's hand. Ed merely saluted the Fuhrer in lieu of words.

Grumman was quick to dismiss Ed from his salute and they both moved silently back to their seats. Ed knew who would be honoured next and he gave Gracia what he hoped was a supportive smile as he picked Elysia up so he could sit down again. Gracia seemed to appreciate the gesture if the smile she gave him in return meant what he thought it did. A glance at Mustang told Ed that he was just as worried for Gracia as Ed was but Ed was quick to avert his attention back to Elysia before Mustang could say or do anything.

"The final person to honoured tonight is the person who uncovered what the threat to Amestris was," Grumman said, facing the crowd in front of him. "I ask that Gracia and Elysia Hughes joins me in order to accept this medal on behalf of the late Brigadier-General Hughes, who gave his life trying to pass along vital information needed to save our country," Grumman said. Gracia stood immediately, her eyes shining a little as she reached for Elysia's hand. Ed gave the little girl an encouraging nod as he helped her off his lap and accepted his own medal back from her. "Brigadier-General Hughes was a good man who should've lived a long, happy life with his family and I am so sorry that he didn't get that chance because our military was infested with traitors," Grumman said as he handed Gracia the velvet box that contained the medal that Hughes would've worn pinned to his chest had he still been alive that day.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Gracia said, her voice clear and strong as she faced him.

"Thank you, Fuhrer Grumman," Elysia echoed, fidgeting a little where she stood next to her mother.

Grumman smiled at the young girl before he nodded to Gracia, who returned the gesture before she led Elysia back over the seats. "You okay?" Ed whispered to Gracia as she settled into her seat. Elysia chose to sit on her mother's lap this time, not that Ed minded or was even surprised by her actions.

"I'm okay," Gracia assured him, voice just as quiet. Her green eyes flicked to something over Ed's shoulder and her reassuring smile grew a little more, telling Ed that Mustang had silently asked the same question Ed had.

"Now I ask that you join me in remembering those who were lost during the battle of Central as I read their names out loud," Grumman said, producing several pages of names. Thousands had died in Amestris as a result of the array used by Father causing deadly accidents or too much stress on the body from the shock of having their soul forcibly removed but dozens had died in Central solely as a result of the battle that warred between Mustang's side and the rest of the military.

No one spoke as Grumman started listing the ranks – if they were military – and names of those who had been killed during the battle a year ago. Ed couldn't help but feel a growing sense of guilt at each name read. These were people who hadn't done anything to deserve the deaths they'd suffered in a war that wouldn't have happened if not for one being believing he deserved ultimate power. Though he'd come a long way from blaming himself for every death that occurred because he hadn't been quick enough to stop Father from using that array or preventing Promised Day from happening in the first place, Ed still felt some responsibility for them and he didn't think anyone could convince him to let go of it completely.

Finally, Grumman read off the last name on his list and looked back up at those in front of him. "I am sure that most of you noticed the large, covered object in the courtyard behind you," Grumman said once he'd taken a sip of water. "Several weeks ago, I commissioned a local artist to create several plaques that have the names of all of those lost during the battle and the names of those who all received a medal today. These plaques will stand as a permanent reminder of the losses we suffered and the challenges we overcame as a country," Grumman told them all. "I am also officially announcing that the 15th of April will be declared a public holiday from this moment on. The only businesses that shall be open are ones who wish to be on this day while the military and hospitals are the only other places that will operate as they normally do," Grumman announced. Elysia's eyes lit up as she realised that it meant that she wouldn't have to go to school on that day and Ed barely managed to keep his amusement off his face. "To those of you who are listening over the radio, the live broadcast is about to come to an end but I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for tuning into the memorial service broadcast this morning and paying your respects alongside the rest of us." Grumman gave a nod to the civilians manning the small desk that had been off to the side of the reporters' section and they cut the broadcast.

"Now, I'll ask that those on the stage with me join me in uncovering the plaques. Please wait until we are at the plaques before you leave your seats to join us," Grumman requested before he nodded to Samantha, who was quick to silently order those sitting up on the stage to follow Grumman, who was now walking towards the stairs.

Those seated closest to the stairs left the stage behind Grumman before the rest quickly followed them off the stage in the order they were seated. Elysia had claimed one of Gracia's hands and one of Ed's while she was waiting for their turn to move and she was quick to start tugging on them to follow Mustang and Hawkeye when they moved first. Gracia glanced behind her to find Al following them, walking alongside Zampano and Jerso rather than by himself like she had feared. He gave her a warm smile that she returned before she focused on where she was walking before she accidentally tripped over something.

* * *

They quickly stood where Samantha ordered them to stand near the massive, covered commissioned honorific artwork. Grumman stood proudly next to it while four soldiers surrounded the object, standing with a corner of the covering in their hands, ready for Grumman to give them the go ahead to unveil it. The soldiers who had been standing around the seating area were busy organising those who had been seated before the stage area so that the reporters would have the chance to get the photos they wanted while making sure none of the generals or other people seated where Voltron had been felt like they weren't getting a good enough view. Ed sought out and found the Paladins waiting kind of off to the side of the whole group and Ed knew it was mainly because the Lions would've preferred not being caught up in the crowd.

Once everyone was gathered, Samantha gave Grumman a nod, who in turn nodded to the four soldiers waiting for his silent order. "You will, of course, be more than welcome to have a closer look at them during the lunch that has been kindly organised by the Armstrong family but please allow me to give you your first look at the remembrance plaques," Grumman said as the four soldiers quickly but efficiently pulled the tarp back to unveil the bronze plaques that had been commissioned for this moment.

Grumman allowed a few moments as the tell-tale clicks of the cameras started sounding the moment the covering had been pulled away. The four soldiers were quick to fold the tarp up to a manageable size so one of them could place it somewhere out of sight while the other three joined the rest of the soldiers keeping an eye on their surroundings. Once Grumman had deemed that enough photos had been taken, he spoke once more. "I would like to thank all of you for attending this memorial service for the first anniversary of Promised Day. As I mentioned before, there is a lunch waiting to be enjoyed by those of you who wish to do so that was generously donated and organised by the Armstrong family," Grumman said. "If you would like to follow the soldiers behind you, they will start to lead you to where the lunch is being held," he told everyone gathered.

He waited a few more moments as everyone bar the reporters, those with Grumman and Voltron started following the soldiers, as they had been instructed to do. Grumman noticed the waiting reporters and nodded, almost in resignation. "You are welcome to take photos of those who were honoured today but you will need to wait for the majority of the other attendees to leave the courtyard so you're not having to shout over them," Grumman said, addressing the reporters as a whole. Ed looked as happy about having to wait to eat because of photos as some of the reporters were about having to wait to take those photos.

" _This whole process had better not take more than a few minutes,"_ Red grumbled from where she stood behind the reporters. _"I'm hungry and it won't take much to tempt me into eating a reporter or two to hurry this all along,"_ she said and Ed fully believed her.

"If it gets us out of here quicker, I'll encourage you taking a chunk or two out of a reporter," Ed told her, even as he started paying attention to the reporters, who were now being directed by Samantha.

" _Shiro would like me to tell you that you shouldn't encourage anyone to bite a reporter, hungry or not,"_ Black dutifully relayed and Ed barely managed to hide his snort as a sneeze.

"He can't stop all of you, can he? And it's not like he can read _my_ mind," Ed said as Samantha turned her sights on those who were about to be photographed. The resulting laughter in his mind was all the answer Ed needed and it was enough to keep his smirk in place for the first couple of photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little later than it normally is! I had a super busy weekend helping a friend on her property cull some of her stock and I didn't end up getting home until late! I hope you all had a great week and I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you to those who've left a comment on previous chapters and I look forward to seeing your thoughts on this one! See you all next week x


	31. Chapter 31

"That was…" Lance trailed off as he followed Ed out of Central Command, trying to find the right word he needed to accurately describe the almost two hour long interrogation Voltron and Ed had just gone through at the hands of Lieutenant-General Olivier Mira Armstrong.

"Terrifying? Thorough? Intense?" Ed offered as he led the group away from the front entrance, nodding to the two guards manning it as he passed them by.

"All of the above," Lance said with a small chuckle. "I didn't realise someone could ask the same question so many different ways!" he exclaimed as Blue gave his hand a sympathetic nudge.

"Yeah," Ed said, wincing slightly at the memory. "Just be grateful she didn't think you were a potential enemy. It would've been much worse," he informed them, voice completely serious.

"I somehow both want and don't want to see what General Armstrong's interrogation of a potential enemy looks likes," Shiro said, both sounding and looking confused with himself.

" _So do I,"_ Black admitted, voice sounding in both Shiro's and Ed's heads. _"I think, however, I'd much prefer to be an observer of her interrogation rather than opposite her at the table,"_ she said.

" _Same here,"_ Red agreed, the three other Lions quickly echoing their sisters while the Paladins nodded fervently in agreement.

"I'm a little surprised it didn't last longer," Ed told them casually as they crossed the street. "When I told her about my trips, I was at her family's mansion for nearly twice that long," he said.

"I'm pretty sure I heard Major Armstrong remind her of some family engagement she'd agreed to attend before he left with his parents and younger sister after the memorial service," Pidge piped up.

Ed nodded at her words. "Makes sense. I guess we owe the family member who created that event a thank you for ensuring we escaped before we died of dehydration or something," Ed said, earning himself a few chuckles. "At least I managed to make it through that meeting intact," Ed commented lightly. "It means my chances of surviving the entire day have gone up a significant amount."

"You thought General Armstrong's questioning would be worse than what you'll face from Al, your teacher, Mustang and everyone else?" Hunk asked, sounding like he obviously thought Ed was very mistaken in that belief.

"General Armstrong is far more likely on any given day to run me through with her sword for the smallest of slights than everyone else is, no matter how upset they are with me," Ed told them before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Except maybe Teacher," he joked. "Though, I'm pretty much counting on more people keeping their impulse to attack me in check than not and holding back those who can't manage it," he said, only half-joking. It was exceedingly apparent that no one else found his words even slightly amusing. "Come on, guys. There's no point in getting upset over it. It hasn't even happened yet and we don't know when it will. What's the point of being sad over something that might not happen for decades yet?" Ed asked, hoping to at least get them to stop acting like Truth was gonna collect on his debt from Baschool in the next few seconds.

" _It's hard for them to accept that you're not going to live as long as you should because you were forced to save your own life in such a way because of an injury that devastating,"_ Blue told him. _"Even though my sisters and I have known about this for a while thanks to your memories, it doesn't make it any easier for us to accept it and it offers our humans no comfort,"_ she said.

Ed grimaced slightly as he was once more reminded that the first time the Paladins had heard about it was the same time Al and Mustang had found out and that they'd also had to find out that their Lions had known about it for months beforehand and hadn't told them. Of course, as Lance had said the previous night after Blue had apologised about not telling them – something Ed only knew about because Blue had spoke in his mind as well – it's not like the Lions could've told them without either breaking Ed's trust by going around his back or without getting his permission and, Ed had admitted rather reluctantly when asked, he wouldn't have likely given his permission. It wasn't because he didn't trust them or anything of the like but because Ed, whether he'd admit it to himself or not, was worried about their reactions, much as he had been about Al and Mustang's the rare times he'd considered telling them the truth.

Ed sighed slightly as he nodded to a random passer-by who'd moved out of the way of the group. "This is why I didn't want to tell anyone about this," he muttered. "It's been pretty much 15 months since that fight and all talking about it is gonna do is cause people to get upset or mad over it," Ed said, glaring at a random building as though it had been the thing that was causing him to lead Voltron to Mustang's place where just about everyone was waiting for them so they could interrogate Ed.

"Maybe someone will be able to help you find a way to reverse what you did so you'll get to live those years you sacrificed," Pidge said, a faint trace of optimism in her voice.

Ed shook his head. "There _isn't_ a way to undo what I did. Not without it killing me almost immediately," Ed told her. A glance at the Green Paladin told him that she didn't understand. "You all know what Al did to save me on Promised Day, right?" he asked and got nods.

" _He reversed the seal binding his soul to the armour, making Truth take his soul back and give you the arm you'd sacrificed in payment to bind his soul all those years ago,"_ Yellow said and Ed nodded at her.

"I exchanged something physical but ultimately not immediately fatal in order to save Al that night," Ed said. "When he reversed it, Truth was forced to give me my arm back." Ed could see that none of the Paladins seemed to get where he was going with this. "The purpose of that array was to bind Al's soul to the armour using my arm as payment," Ed said. "The purpose of the array I used in Baschool was to heal my injuries enough that I'd be able to get medical help by sacrificing some of my life span. What do you think would happen if I tried to reverse that array, if it was even possible in the first place?" Ed asked and everyone's eyes widened as they realised what he was trying to tell them.

"You'd get those years back but the damage that was healed because of those years being sacrificed would come back as well," Shiro said sadly and Ed nodded.

"I used those years to heal the worst of the damage," Ed explained. "I still would've likely bled out if Darius and Heinkel hadn't gotten me to a doctor as quickly as possible but that could've been circumvented by me patching up the wound as best I could and giving Major Miles some sign I was still alive at the bottom of the mine shaft. He would've arranged a rescue team and I would've been treated at Fort Briggs so I would've been fine," Ed said before realising he was starting to ramble as they continued on their trek to Mustang's.

"My point is that even if I was somehow able to reverse the transmutation, I would very likely die from the damage to my organs that I'd managed to heal by sacrificing some of my life-span. I can't say for certain since I'm not medically trained and it's not like I had a doctor with me in that mine shaft who could've told me what my injuries were before I'd partially healed myself but I know that I wouldn't survive for very long just from that damage," Ed told them. "There's nothing that could be done to change what I had to pay and I doubt there's a viable option out there to reverse what I did pay _and_ ensure I wouldn't die from the damage I'd healed myself of," Ed informed them, voice forcibly neutral.

"What about a stone? You told us that the first two trips were because your enemy had false stones. Couldn't you use one of them to fix it?" Lance asked and it was only because Ed could both hear the sadness and slight desperation to help his friend in Lance's voice and feel Blue's slight flare of protectiveness towards Lance that Ed didn't snap at Lance.

"There is no way anyone could force me to sacrifice even one soul from a stone because of something that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so rigid in my ideal that I could talk down anyone from their psychopathic tendencies and had just let Major Miles or his snipers take Kimblee out," Ed told Lance firmly.

" _While I certainly can't say that I don't wish you had allowed Miles and his sniper to take care of Kimblee, it is not your fault that you got so severely injured. Miles knew what you were like and what you thought of killing someone who had done nothing to deserve it and he still spoke to his men about doing so while you were nearby and could hear him,"_ Black pointed out.

"Yeah, it probably would've been better all around if Miles had just kept me out of the loop but at the same time, I likely would've figured out what they were planning and who knows how I would've reacted to that? Besides, it's not Miles' fault either. It's not like he forced me to confront Kimblee near the mine shaft or to fight him after I'd dealt with Darius and Heinkel," Ed said, unable to stand for Miles being blamed in any way. It wasn't like the man had intentionally done what he did with the plan for Ed to fight Kimblee and get that badly injured.

" _I'm not saying it's completely Major Miles' fault but it's not completely yours either,"_ Black told him. _"Really, the only person to blame is Kimblee. What kind of psychopath blows up a mine shaft with a child and two of his workers in it? Surely there would've been an easier way to deal with you that didn't get you almost killed!"_ Black ranted, glaring at the ground in front of her like it was Kimblee.

Ed shrugged at her even as he fought to keep the slight amount of amusement he felt in check at the intensity of the glare. "He _was_ a psychopath," Ed pointed out dryly. "I doubt he was doing too much thinking past 'I'm gonna make sure this pain in the arse is out of my way permanently'," Ed told her.

" _I'm still mad and I still think he got off too easily,"_ Black grumbled, causing both Shiro and Ed to huff out a small laugh each.

"I almost wish he survived to go up against the five of you," Ed said jokingly.

" _We would've done worse to him than we did to Lotor,"_ Red told him with the other four Lions backing her words up.

"Have you even figured out how you're going to talk to the others about this?" Keith asked, the question almost rushing out of him and Ed got a feeling that he'd been wanting to ask that for a while now.

"Not really," Ed told him, trying to sound far more casual than he truly felt. "I have a feeling that any kind of plan I come up with to try and navigate whatever the hell's about to happen will end up being followed about as well as I follow Mustang's orders," Ed told them, earning a few huffs of amusement that helped relax him just a little. "I did ask Darius and Heinkel to be there since they were with me in the mine shaft and I was pretty much unconscious once I performed that transmutation until like five days after that doctor stitched the rest of the injury up," Ed explained. "So hopefully they'll help me out a bit," he added, "even if it's just to mitigate the yelling."

Unbeknownst to Edward, the humans of Voltron shared a glance at that. "Do you really think you'll get lectured about it?" Shiro asked. Though Ed hadn't discussed the specifics of what had happened in that mine shaft, it was blindingly obvious that what Ed had done was something he did because he had no other choice and Shiro couldn't see why his hand being forced should lead to a lecture of any sort.

"I mean, probably," Ed said with a shrugged shoulder. "If only because I didn't tell them and they found out almost fifteen months after the fact accidentally," he said, apparently thinking he needed to supply everyone with some kind of defence before they'd even gotten the chance to yell at Ed.

Black spotted Shiro's frown and couldn't help herself. _"You can't exactly say that you wouldn't entirely blame them for being angry at the fact that they only found out about this because of an accident,"_ she told him.

"Well no, I can understand them being upset because it was obvious Ed had no intention of ever telling them since it has been so long since the injury occurred and there were undoubtedly moments where he could've told them before now," Shiro told her, using their bond to keep the conversation between themselves. "But I just hope that they're able to realise as quickly as we did that Ed literally had no other choice," he said.

Black seemed to be thinking something over and while he was curious, Shiro was content not to push the matter just to continue their conversation. Ed was talking with Pidge, who had managed to change the subject from the upcoming confrontation to the plans she had about leaving blueprints and other instructional material that might help Amestris close the gap between its technology and the more advanced technology of America. From the look on Ed's face, he didn't seem certain that they would be able to use those plans _and_ keep Voltron's true origins a secret. If he were being honest, Shiro wasn't exactly sure how they'd pull that off either.

" _Tell me this,"_ Black started saying, drawing Shiro's attention once more. _"Do you know why you can accept the fact that Ed had to make a massive sacrifice so easily? All of you are saddened at the price he had to pay but I haven't felt anything from you and my sisters haven't felt anything from their humans that tells us that any of you so much as hesitated in taking Ed's side. Do you know why?"_ she asked Shiro, yellow eyes looking straight up into Shiro's eyes.

Shiro opened his mouth immediately, ready to tell Black that of course he knew why when he paused for a moment. Of course, Shiro knew part of the reason he didn't hesitate to take Ed's side in this was because the young blonde alchemist was part of his family and his friend. He also knew that the other part – the more logical part – was because he knew Ed didn't have any other choices available to him. It was do what he did or die almost immediately from that injury and Shiro would be lying if he said he wasn't exceptionally glad that Ed had made that call. Yet, Shiro was surprised to realise, there was another reason for why he was on Ed's side and he took a few moments to try and figure out how to articulate it.

Black was content to repay Shiro the favour of giving him time, just as he had done for her. She could feel his slight shock so she focused on the feelings she could feel through hers and Ed's bond. Hunk had managed to get Pidge to move on from trying to revolutionise Amestris as quickly and as sneakily as possible to the recipes Hunk planned on giving him. Her sisters glanced over at her, silently asking if everything was alright and she promised them they were.

Finally, it seemed as though Shiro realised exactly what Black had when Darius and Heinkel had accidentally twisted Ed's arm into giving a brief summary of what had truly happened in the Baschool mine shaft so her attention went back to him. "I don't think any of us really hesitated in being on Ed's side in this because we can understand what kind of situation he was facing, probably even better than most of those Ed considers friends and family," Shiro said and Black nodded but knew Shiro wasn't finished speaking yet. "I mean, I don't think any of us haven't had to make a decision between saving someone else or saving ourselves and what Ed did meant he could continue fighting against Father and save Amestris. He'd already sacrificed so much for his brother and the country by that point that it really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone to learn that he literally gave years of his life to make sure he could continue fighting for everyone," Shiro said.

Black nodded once more. _"All of you have sacrificed something in someway to save your universe ever since we chose you as our pilots,"_ she told him and Shiro nodded in agreement. _"Which means all of you can understand just what Ed was facing in that moment, even if you don't know all the details just yet."_ Black knew she was just summarising what he'd said but she wanted to make sure they were on the same page. Bonded or not, sometimes there were still moments where they'd found out that they'd surprised each other. _"But can you remember how you felt each time Lance, Keith, Hunk, or Pidge came back injured and you only had the bare minimum of the details? How you were so worried the first few times that you couldn't stop yourself from yelling at them when they came out of the cryopod? Don't you think that maybe that's how everyone else is feeling right now?"_ she asked him.

Shiro seemed to consider her words. It was true that the first few times each Paladin had come out of a cryopod after nearly sacrificing themselves for someone else, he'd ended up yelling at them because he had been so worried and so relieved. "You're right," Shiro told her. Black decided that now was probably not the right time to allow any of her smugness come through their bond. There was a side-eye from Shiro that told Black he knew what she'd just thought but he continued speaking as though he hadn't noticed. "The anger Mustang, Izumi, and Al have shown is probably just a cover for their worry about Ed and what had happened. That doesn't mean that I'm gonna sit by and let them say things they probably wouldn't have if they had a level head but I'm hoping that the fact that they've had a whole day to calm down means I won't have to try and play interference like Ed and Mustang had to when Keith's heritage was revealed," Shiro said.

" _Well,"_ Black said and Shiro suddenly felt another four sets of Lions eyes on him, which was a tad unsettling if he were being honest, _"if you do, you'll definitely have me and my sisters on your side and I have absolutely no doubt that their humans will beat you to Ed's defence,"_ Black told him, her voice tinged with amusement as Shiro grinned at her.

"I have no doubts of that."

* * *

Ed barely managed to stop himself from giving into the sudden and strong urge to turn around and flee when Mustang's house came into view. He was certain that a large part of the reason he didn't was because Voltron was with him and kinda blocking any immediate escape route available to him. He wasn't certain that it was intentional but he wouldn't have put it past them to make sure he got this over and done with. Ed knew that this conversation needed to happen so that this situation could be sorted and everyone could move on but that didn't mean Ed wanted to face everyone.

Sighing slightly, Ed steeled himself as he reached the front door and knocked. It took a few moments for someone to open the door and – to Ed's surprise and relief – it wasn't Mustang or Al on the other side of the door. Rather, it was Gracia who greeted them. "We were wondering whether General Armstrong was going to let you guys go some time today," she told them, an amused smile on her lips. "Come on in," she said, standing slightly to the side so they could walk through the door.

Once again, Ed felt that same urge to flee but he forced himself to ignore it as he entered Mustang's house. "How are you and Elysia?" Ed asked as Voltron filed into the house.

Gracia have Ed a kind smile. "We're alright," she told him. "Elysia decided that Maes' medal needed to be displayed immediately once we were home so we spent most of the afternoon finding the perfect spot for it to be displayed," she told him.

Ed felt a small wave of grief flow through him at her words. "Is she here?" Ed asked and Gracia nodded.

"There was no way I was going to be able to convince her to stay with one of her friends when she heard where I was going tonight and who would be there," Gracia told him.

Ed frowned slightly but nodded. Elysia definitely wouldn't have agreed to a sleepover with anyone once she knew her mum was heading to her uncle's and that her big brothers and big sister would be there. "I'm sure we'll figure out something to distract her," Ed said.

"I'm sure," Gracia agreed as she shut the door now that everyone was inside the house. "Would any of you like a drink?" she asked, facing them all.

"I think I'm good, Miss Gracia," Ed told her.

Voltron all exchanges a glance but shook their heads. "We're good as well," Shiro said.

Gracia nodded before she indicated towards the lounge room. "Everyone's waiting for you," Gracia told them. She gave Ed an understanding smile when she spotted Ed's worried look. "It'll be okay, Ed," she promised him.

" _We'll be here too. Both us and our humans and you know Darius and Heinkel will be there to help if you need it,"_ Black reassured Ed before any of them made a move to head into the lounge room. Even Gracia hadn't taken a step, obviously waiting for Ed to take the first one.

"Thanks, guys," Ed said, giving them all a grateful smile as he petted Black and Blue, who were the closest Lions at the time. He then rolled his eyes when he heard someone mentally cough in his mind and proceeded to give the three other Lions the pats they'd passive aggressively demanded. With everyone now satisfied or amused, Ed nodded once to himself and headed for the lounge room where everyone else was waiting.

"Big brother Ed!" Elysia greeted excitedly, as though she hadn't seen him for weeks rather than the couple of hours it had actually been.

Ed grinned at her, silently grateful that she'd been the first to greet him and had unintentionally prevented anyone else from doing so. Judging from the looks on some of their faces, Ed was pretty sure he didn't want them greeting him. "Hey, El!" he called back, grunting a little when Elysia slammed into his middle. "Did you behave for your mum this afternoon?" Ed asked her as he lifted her up so he could hug the little girl, not quite ready to let anyone else speak just yet.

Elysia nodded enthusiastically as she pulled out of her hug. "I really did!" she told him. "We put Daddy's medal up on the mantle with our pictures!" Elysia said.

"Oh that was a really good spot to put it. Did you choose to put it there?" Ed asked her and, once again, Elysia nodded.

"Mama helped me put it up there though 'cuz I'm too small to reach myself," Elysia explained.

"You'll have to show me it tonight," Ed told her, giving her a smile. He glanced around the room to see if anyone looked like they were about to attack him for answers just yet and was relieved to see almost everyone looked like they were still a few minutes from reaching that point. A silent question to Gracia had her shaking her head so Ed turned back to Elysia, thoughts on how to get her out of the room without the young girl being suspicious running through his mind. An idea sparked and he nodded to himself. "Hey, El?"

Elysia looked up at him curiously. "Yeah, big brother?"

"Do you have any of your colouring stuff here?" Ed asked her. He couldn't remember seeing any when Combes, Widdon and their teams ransacked Mustang's house but that didn't mean there weren't any in here now.

"Yeah," she told him. "Uncle Roy lets me keep some in a box in his study," she said, still looking curious about why her big brother was asking.

"Well, if it's okay with your uncle," Ed said, eyes flicking to Mustang before they fell back on Elysia, "Yellow really wants to see how you draw," Ed told her, ready to mentally apologise to the Yellow Lion for not running this by her first. "Since we don't know how much longer they'll be here, how about you go up to your uncle's study and draw a few pictures with Yellow while the rest of us talk about boring things?" he asked her, making sure to emphasise 'boring' in hopes to further Elysia's desire to go and draw.

Elysia's brow furrowed in thought before she turned her puppy eyes onto Mustang, a sure sign that she'd decided to draw. Ed used the opportunity to give Yellow that mental apology but the Lion dismissed it before he even got the first two words out. Apparently she was really excited for the opportunity to spend more time with the youngest Hughes. With the amused but affectionate look Hunk was giving Yellow, Ed knew he had no problems being separated from his Lion for the evening but he still made a mental note to apologise for it later.

"Okay, big brother!" Elysia's agreement brought Ed's attention back to her and he surmised that Mustang had agreed. "How many drawings should I do?" the young girl asked.

Ed pretended to contemplate for a few moments, even making a humming noise that had Elysia giggling. "How about one drawing for each member plus Miss Allura and Coran?" he finally suggested.

Elysia gasped at the idea. "That's like," she paused for a moment as she used her fingers to count the amount with, "12 drawings!" she exclaimed.

Ed nodded. "That's exactly right. Very good!" he praised her, which brought a large, pleased smile to her face before she asked to put down.

Ed obliged the request and Elysia started heading for the stairs. "I'm gonna get started now!" she told them before anyone could stop her. Yellow didn't hesitate in moving after her though.

"Don't touch any of your uncle's things!" Gracia called, raising her voice slightly so Elysia could hear her over her own footsteps as she raced up the staircase to the second floor.

"Okay, Mama!" they heard her call back.

Ed saw someone open their mouth but he held a hand up to stop them as he kept an eye and ear on the staircase. It wouldn't have been the first time Elysia had tried to eavesdrop on a conversation. _"We're inside the study and she's shut the door,"_ Yellow told him just as he heard the soft _click_ of the door closing above them.

Thanking the Yellow Lion, Ed lowered his hand. "She's in the study and the door's shut. She shouldn't be able to hear us now," he said, both so everyone had the information and so they also knew why Ed had silenced them.

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten about her eavesdropping tendencies," Gracia said, giving a small sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to deal with the potential aftermath of Elysia overhearing something she shouldn't have.

Ed flashed her a smile before he decided it was now time to face the music. Looking at everyone gathered in Mustang's living room, he took in all their faces. Fuery, Breda, Falman and Havoc all looked various degrees of concerned and confused. Havoc had been the only one to hear what Ed had said the previous day whereas Falman, Breda and Fuery had all heard it second-hand so their confusion was warranted in Ed's eyes. Winry and Pinako just looked confused and a touch wary, or at least Winry did. As always, Pinako's expression didn't give much away but Ed knew she was definitely curious about why they were gathered in Mustang's house. Naturally, Voltron, Darius, and Heinkel weren't confused by what was going on. Both Hawkeye and Mustang looked equal parts angry, worried, and impatient, which Ed would admit had him a little nervous. Izumi and Sig looked ready to demand answers from him and to smother him with affection, respectively. However, the blank look on Al's face hurt the most. To Ed, it was almost like Al was so angry and frustrated with Ed that he had to spend all his energy on keeping it under control and that hurt Ed.

"Alright," Ed sighed. "Let's have it."

"Start from the moment Alphonse left you in Baschool and finish with the day you and these two," Mustang gestures to Darius and Heinkel, "wound up in Central," he ordered, face impassive.

The urge to disobey Mustang's orders was there as it always was but Ed knew that not even Havoc would be on his side if he did. Plus the glare from Izumi told him that there would be no forgiveness from her and that his disobedience would result in painful injuries the next time they sparred. So – after requesting that Yellow warn him the moment Elysia went to move towards the door – Ed started talking. In his report – when he'd first given it in the first couple of weeks after Promised Day – Ed had simply given Mustang practically the same story he'd told Major Miles in Ishval the night before Voltron had shown up. This time, he told the truth and spared no detail.

* * *

It took far longer than Ed had expected for him to recount what had happened between Al leaving him in Baschool and when he, Darius and Heinkel came back to Central and met up with Greed/Ling. Darius and Heinkel had pitched in after Ed had reached the point where he was unconscious after healing himself so they had taken the reins up until Ed had reached the point where he'd been able to stay conscious in the back-alley doctor's home for longer than a few minutes.

"Once Greed agreed to let us stick around him, we left Central and spent the next three or so weeks avoiding the military and whatever homunculi were left alive. Then we headed for Granny's before we planned to head towards Central to get ready for the fight," Ed told them, voice a little tired after speaking for so long. "After that, there was the battle at Kanama between us and Pride then it was Promised Day and you all know what happened then," he finished saying, his last word coming out as more of a sigh.

Silence followed his recount but Ed wasn't really surprised by that. Just like he wasn't surprised by the tears slowly working their way down Winry's cheeks, though the couple he'd seen on Izumi's and Pinako's cheeks before they'd managed to wipe them away did surprise him. Al hadn't been able to or hadn't bothered stopping his tears but Ed could see a simmering rage in his little brother's eyes that had Ed a touch nervous about what the fallout would be with Al. The others all looked stunned, disbelieving, and devastated by the end of his story. However, to Ed's surprise, Izumi and Hawkeye – while obviously upset at what he'd done – looked almost like they agreed with his decision. In fact, the looks on their faces reminded Ed of Voltron's reactions, even before they knew the whole story. Mustang, however, didn't give away anything, which worried Ed just as much as Al's reaction did.

"Can you reverse it? Like Al did?" Gracia asked, doing an enviable job to keep her voice from shaking with the tears that were streaming down her face.

Ed bit back his sigh but only just. Black and Blue pressed against his side in solidarity and Ed could feel the other Lions mentally pressing up against their bond with him. "It's not possible," Ed told her, voice slightly apologetic, something that made Gracia want to open her mouth and tell him he didn't need to be. "Even if I could reverse what I'd done and get those years back, the damage I healed by sacrificing those years would also come back," he explained to her, repeating what he'd said to Voltron less then an hour ago.

"And from what you described, you wouldn't survive it," Havoc said and Ed nodded.

"Most likely not. Even if I was in a surgical theatre with a fully equipped trauma team on stand by," Ed said, earning himself a few shocked gasps.

"You're not going to even _try_?!" Winry demanded, eyes sparkling with unshed tears and fury.

"Did you miss the part where I said it was impossible?" Ed snapped, his infamously short temper getting the best of him. "It's not like I drew out a physical array like I did for Al! Plus there's the whole 'I wouldn't make it even it were possible' thing I just finished explaining!" he snarled at her, unable to reel in his irrational anger.

Shiro placed a hand on Ed's flesh shoulder, grounding him slightly with his touch and Ed used it to help himself bury his temper once more. Winry looked as taken aback by his tone and words as she had earlier that morning when the Lions had stopped her from greeting Ed in her usual violent manner. "But that means you won't get the chance to live as long as you should have," Winry sobbed, placing a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs slightly.

Ed scoffed. "Oh, come on, Win," he said. "Did anyone _really_ expect me to die of old age?" he asked. Though he'd meant it as a dismissive and rhetorical question, he was met with some aghast looks, as though those around him couldn't believe he'd just said that.

"This isn't a joke, Edward!" Al shouted, not bothering to keep his voice low. Ed managed to spare one fleeting hope that Mustang's floors and walls were thick enough that Elysia wouldn't be able to hear her other big brother. "This is your life! How could you be so stupid?! Going up against Kimblee?! We knew he was a psychopath! You _knew_ he was someone you needed to avoid getting in a fight with! You _admitted_ that yourself! Why the hell didn't you just listen to Major Miles and follow orders for once in your life?!"

Ed couldn't stop the flinch he gave at the intensity of Al's rage, frustration and grief. Before Shiro or the Lions could try to stop him, Ed struck back with just as much ferocity as he could. "I'll be the first to admit that if I could go back to that moment, I'd have lured the fucker into the middle of the town square so Miles' snipers had a perfect shot of him. Hell, I'd have asked Miles to try and get Miss Riza up to Fort Briggs so she could take Kimblee out!" Ed snapped, surprising most people in the room.

Al scoffed at him. "No, you fucking wouldn't have!" Al shouted at him. "You would've tried to stop him, put him down maybe but you wouldn't have asked for Captain Hawkeye and you wouldn't have let Major Miles or his snipers kill Kimblee. You're not wired like that, Edward, and you bloody well know it! Don't fucking lie to us just to try and make us feel better!"

In the face of Al's accusation and the knowing glares he was getting from everyone else, Ed couldn't keep up the lie. "You're right. I probably wouldn't have let him be killed," he admitted. "But I wouldn't have let that fight get as bad as it did," Ed said. "But hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Ed said, his tone a touch harder than it had been as his self-loathing made itself known. The change was noticeable and surprising enough that even Al looked taken aback. "It's just one more thing to add to the pile of my biggest fuck-ups that can't be taken back or fixed! But unlike most of those things, I'm _glad_ I made the choice to use that array!" he informed them.

Al reared back like he'd been struck. "You're _glad_ you sacrificed an unknown number of years off your life?!" he asked demandingly.

"Well I'm not thrilled that that was the price I had to pay but there wouldn't have been anything I wouldn't have exchanged to make sure I survived past that fight," Ed told him, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Father might have stood to lose a sacrifice if I didn't do what I did but we both know Pride had enough energy in him to have forced some other poor bastard into committing human transmutation as well as Mustang. Pride might not have been able to fight afterwards but he could've done it," Ed said, crossing his arms defensively in front of him.

"You wouldn't have even been in that situation if you had just taken the time to think things through! If you had just considered the situation instead of running headfirst into that sort of thing like you always do!" Winry berated him and Ed barely managed to stop the instinctual eyeroll from happening.

"Be honest, Winry. Would you have truly expected me to have just stood by as they killed someone in front of me? Even someone like Kimblee?" he asked. He felt a slight curl of smugness when she deflated slightly.

"No, I wouldn't have," she admitted quietly. Ed could see her mind struggling to find something – anything – to blame for Ed's decision. He knew she hated the idea that there nothing to blame except for just Ed's bad luck and it's not like she could vent her frustrations either physically or verbally at it. Unfortunately for them, Darius and Heinkel moved to make way for Gracia, who was dealing with what Ed had said by making herself busy and clearing up the small mess everyone had created while waiting for Ed and Voltron to turn up. Ed saw her eyes fix on the two chimeras and the fury that blazed in them was so sudden and intense that Ed found himself worried that Winry was going to make their heads explode just from her glare. "You two!" she snarled, pointing at both chimeras and making them freeze almost comically.

"Winry," Ed said, tone both warning and soothing at the same time but Winry ignored him.

"If you two hadn't distracted Ed by fighting him, he could've dealt with Kimblee above ground! He wouldn't have been in the mineshaft and Kimblee wouldn't have been able to collapse that mineshaft with one of my best friends in it!" she snarled at the pair.

"I – uh – we –" Darius stuttered while Heinkel looked like he was considering jumping out of the nearest window, closed or not.

"Winry," both Ed and Pinako reprimanded at the same time, causing the blonde automail mechanic to aim that glare at Ed. Pinako was spared only because Winry knew that Pinako would've done worse to her for it than Ed would've. "Leave them alone," Pinako ordered before Ed could say anything.

"Seriously, Winry," Ed said, not bothering to hide his irritation with her reaction. "They were my enemies before Kimblee tried to kill the three of us. You can't really have expected them to stand by while their boss and I fought," Ed said, not bothering to hide his exasperation. "I know you like having something tangible to blame for things but there is no one to blame for what I did except me and Kimblee for collapsing that mineshaft with the three of us inside of it," Ed said, recalling what Black had said to him barely an hour before. "Or did you forget already? Without the two of them down there with me, I'd have been dead no matter how many years I sacrificed!" he snapped at her.

"Don't speak to her like that!" Al snapped at him. "She's allowed to be mad! You're the one who didn't tell us about what happened! Fifteen months, Edward! You had fifteen months worth of opportunities to tell us and we had to find out because Darius and Heinkel didn't know you hadn't told us!"

Al's words, his unbridled anger told Ed that his little brother had finally gotten to the crux of his main issue with this situation. But before Ed could ask, someone else spoke for the first time since just after Elysia had left the room. "Why didn't you report what had truly happened?" Mustang asked before cutting Ed off before the blonde could answer. "I understand you couldn't tell anyone immediately following the fight. You were unconscious and then you had to lay low for the next couple of months because you were considered a deserter. I understand why you couldn't tell us straight away but why didn't you tell us after Promised Day?" he asked.

Ed shifted slightly where he stood. "At first, it was because I didn't even remember that I hadn't told you what had happened," Ed said. "Then it was because Al came out of his coma. Doc Evans said the slightest stress on him could set his recovery back an unknowable time," he told them. "I figured that learning I had sacrificed years of my life because of a fight I shouldn't have been in would cause you massive stress and I couldn't do that to you," Ed said, looking directly at Al. "So, whenever I remembered you still didn't know, I told myself that I had to wait. At first," Ed said, "it was going to be when the doctors stopped feeding you broths and you were able to eat real food then it was going to be when your rehabilitation doctor started talking about you leaving the hospital because I figured if you were strong enough to leave the hospital, you'd be strong enough that I could tell you," he explained.

"But then Mustang and I were sent to America the first time and dealing with that and what happened with Harding; it pushed the Baschool fight from my mind," Ed told them. "Then Moore and his crazy arse happened and Mustang and I were back in America," he continued, "and the fallout from Harding really hit then," he admitted. "I'll admit, after we arrived back from Voltron's dimension and I realised it had been over 8 months since the Baschool fight, I figured it was probably better if you didn't know. It had already been over three-quarters of a year and I knew nothing good would come from telling you all. So, I decided –"

"You decided to keep it from us anyway despite the fact that we _deserved_ to know! We had every right to know what you'd done and the fact that you're gonna die before you should!" Al shouted, interrupting Ed before he'd finished speaking.

Before Ed had the chance to lash back at his brother, someone else interrupted him. "That is enough, boys," Sig's deep voice rumbled as he took a step forward, gently moving Izumi to the side so he could take that step forward. "Yelling will not solve anything and you both should well and truly know that by now. Izumi more than trained that into you while you were living with us," he told them gruffly.

The few moments it took for Sig to start and finish speaking were enough for Ed to get control of his anger once more and from the looks of it, it gave Al that chance too, for which Ed was grateful for. Taking a settling breath, Ed nodded to Sig in thanks before he answered his brother. "Yes, I decided to keep you in the dark. All of you in the dark," Ed told them. "On the walk here, the first two things I was asked by these guys," Ed gestures to Voltron, "were if it could be reversed and if I could use a stone. When I told them why neither of those were options I could or would take, they accepted my answers pretty much straight away. But, Alphonse, I know exactly what you're like. You wouldn't have just accepted that the array couldn't be reversed without killing me. I mean," Ed chuckled half-heartedly, "I can't exactly blame you. We've pulled off some pretty impossible things in the last few years but you can't get me out of this one, little brother," Ed told him, hating the tears that were coming down Al's cheeks.

"You don't know that for sure. You _can't_ know that for sure. There must be some way for us to try and reverse this," Al said, his tone unashamedly pleading as he fixed his shining eyes on Ed.

Before Ed had the chance to answer Al's pleading with a shake of his head and another firm but apologetic denial that, no, they really couldn't do anything, two voices sounded – one in Ed's head and one out of it.

"What's going on? Why are you fighting, big brothers? Why aren't any of you stopping them?" Elysia's voice sounded from the staircase and Ed felt himself freeze before the second voice's words registered.

" _Ed, I'm sorry! She slipped past me before I could stop her and you accidentally blocked me!"_ Yellow told Ed, voice genuinely upset.

Everyone, without exception, went silent at the sound of Elysia's voice. Even Gracia and Mustang stayed silent, though in Gracia's case it seemed more like she was trying to rid herself of any evidence of her tears as well as try and come up with an answer for Elysia. Ed took a breath, trying to get a better hold on his emotions, just as Yellow slunk almost guiltily into view. The emotions Ed could see in Yellow's eyes and feel through their bond had Ed dealing with that first.

"It's alright, Yellow," Ed said to her, holding a hand up in a calming gesture. "You're not the first one to have underestimated how quickly Elysia can move. And Elysia knows that she's not supposed to eavesdrop on people's conversations if she's not a part of them." This last part he said with his eyes on the young child.

Elysia fidgeted with guilt but – to Ed's slight surprise and slightly larger approval – she stood her ground in the face of Ed's reprimanding look. "I heard yelling," she admitted, twisting her folded hands tightly but never looking away from Ed or her mother. "I realised it was my big brothers and they _never_ yell when I'm nearby so I knew it was somethin' important. Yellow tried to block me when I went to the door so you can't blame her!" Elysia insisted, determined to defend Yellow.

"She told me you managed to slip past her and I promise no one blames her," Ed told her," but you know better, El," he said firmly. "You know that if we have you leave the room, it means we're talking about something that we don't want you to overhear. Do you remember why there are some things we don't want you to know about?" Ed asked her.

"'Cuz I might be too little to understand what you're talking about or I might forget that it's s'posed to be a secret or it's something that you want to tell me about when I'm bigger or it's something that's s'posed to be a surprise for me," Elysia dutifully repeated, looking increasingly guilty as she did so.

"So you do remember," Ed said and Elysia nodded. "So why did you come down here when Yellow tried to stop you? Surely you must've known that it meant she didn't want you down here which meant we were talking about something that we didn't want you to hear," Ed said.

"I know," Elysia whispered.

"Honey, why did you come down here?" Gracia asked before Ed could say anything.

"Because I heard big brother Al and big brother Ed yelling and I've never heard them yell at each other," Elysia repeated. "I knew it had to be somethin' really big for them to be yellin' like that and I was worried," she told them.

Ed could feel the Lions almost melt at how cute they thought Elysia was being and he just knew they would've been joined by Maes if they could've been. Before he could even think of teasing them, Gracia spoke up and got his attention again. "Darling, you know eavesdropping is wrong," she told her daughter, who nodded. "I understand that you just wanted to check on your brothers but you still should've waited until after we'd finished speaking," Gracia scolded her lightly.

"I know, Mama," Elysia said, nearly mumbling as her green eyes glistened slightly.

"Why doesn't Ed go with you, Yellow and whichever Lion wants to join them and he can explain what he can about what was happening down here?" Shiro suggested, tone light and friendly as he clapped a hand onto Ed's shoulder. There was something in his eyes that had Ed's suspicions rise despite his tone. "I don't think there'll be much more said that hasn't already and I'm sure Elysia will be too curious to go back upstairs by herself now," he rationalised before anyone could say anything.

Ed found himself torn. On one hand, he'd escape the situation and be away from the glaring and upset eyes of most those around him _and_ he'd get to control what Elysia was told. On the other hand, it felt a bit like running away to him and he'd never run from anything in his life. Unable to decide what to do, Ed looked to Gracia for help. As Elysia's mother, it was ultimately her decision on who told her daughter anything.

Gracia seemed to understand why she was on the receiving end of Ed's look as she nodded. 'Yes, I think that would be for the best," she agreed. "It'll also give everyone the chance to calm themselves so Elysia doesn't overhear any more shouting," she added, a biting look aimed at those who so much as looked like they'd disagree with her or Shiro.

Ed nodded and moved towards where Elysia was standing, looking rather perplexed at the fact that not only was she not being scolded further but she was going to find out a bit of what was going on. To barely anyone's surprise, Green chose to follow Ed, with permission from Pidge. To almost everyone's surprise, however, no other Lion moved to follow them. Ed felt their apologies at wanting to stay with their humans but Ed dismissed them. There was an undercurrent of something in their tone that had Ed's suspicions raise even further but he knew no amount of questioning her would have Black tell him anything about the plan Shiro obviously had.

"Let's go back up to the study," Ed told Elysia as soon as he got to her. He noted the look on her face and snorted. "You're still in trouble for eavesdropping," he informed her, "but it's up to your mum how much trouble you're in," he admitted.

"Okay, big brother," Elysia said, obviously resigning herself to her fate as she led the way back up the stairs, Yellow glued to her side. Ed almost snorted at the determination Yellow showed to not let Elysia slip away again.

Ed glanced back over at the group seated or standing in Mustang's lounge room before his sight was filled with plastered walls. Both Shiro and Lance gave him firm nods, silently telling him that they had this situation handled for now. Both Keith and Pidge seemed to be glaring at everyone minus their remaining team, Gracia, and the chimeras, which surprised Ed. He was sure they hadn't seemed so hostile while Ed was talking or during the following discussion. He'd tried to meet Al's eyes before he lost sight of them but the younger Elric was obvious in his attempts at avoiding looking at Ed. The clear avoidance caused Ed's heart to sink and it almost caused him to rush back down the stairs and either punch Al in the face or yell at him until his younger brother had gotten everything he'd wanted to say or do out of his system but Ed didn't. He decided to trust in his friends and continued up the stairs, allowing them to help fight this fight for him for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice angst filled chapter for you all to enjoy! I hope you all had a great week and I would absolutely love it if I could read what some of you guys think to this chapter, please? See you all next week!


	32. Chapter 32

No one spoke until they heard the door upstairs shut once more and Lance pounced on the opportunity to be the first to speak. "We," he gestured to himself and Shiro, "are gonna talk. They," this time he gestured to Pidge and Keith, "will glare at you. The Lions," he pointed to the three who remained with them, "will do whatever they deem necessary if we're interrupted. All of you," he jabbed a finger at the now-bewildered group in front of them, "will shut it and listen to us. Got it?" he asked, voice wavering between a growl and a snarl.

Not a single person argued and Lance nodded in satisfaction. It didn't seem to matter to him that they'd mostly agreed in an almost instinctive fashion, in Shiro's opinion, but the Black Paladin wasn't about to point that out since it meant they weren't arguing. As Lance was now silent but pointedly looking at him, Shiro took the lead in starting this conversation.

"We understand that what you've just heard from Ed has been extremely hard and upsetting for most of you to hear," Shiro said, making sure to keep his voice level and calm. There were a couple of people in front of him who looked like they would lash out at him if they so much as thought he was being judgemental, which would defeat the purpose of this conversation so he did his best to show he understood, which wasn't exactly hard since he did. "Now some of you may think that what we plan on doing is lecture you or tell you how you should react and what you should be feeling right now but that is the furthest thing from our minds. All we want to achieve here is making sure that no one says anything they'll regret because their emotions were too clouded by anger or grief for them to think about what they were saying and hurts Ed far more than he's hurting already," Shiro told them.

The Black Paladin saw recognition flicker through Mustang's eyes and knew the general had recognised his own words from six months ago, back when he and Ed had stood in between Allura and Keith when Keith's heritage had been revealed. "We understand that learning this had to have been as much of a shock for you as it was for us but please listen to what we're saying," Shiro implored. "Edward has already been through a lot in his life. He's had to make so many sacrifices to keep people safe or to keep your country from being wiped off the map. Don't make him think his decision 15 months ago not only cost him some of his life but also cost him most of those closest to him," he pleaded.

"We don't want you to feel like we're ganging up on you," Lance said, picking up on Shiro's idea to use Mustang's words from six months ago on the Castle-Ship, "but we also don't want you to potentially hurt your relationships with Ed before you've really had the chance to process what he told you. We know that most of you in front of us are upset because of what Ed had to do and the fact he kept it from you for so long but please take the time Elysia's interruption gave you to start trying to calm yourselves down," Lance asked, voice as calm and level as Shiro's had been.

Shiro was using the chance Lance gave him to survey the group in front of them and he could see that some of them – Mustang, his team and the Curtises mainly – seemed to be hearing his and Lance's words but not all of them were. His biggest worry was about Winry and Al right now, as both of them looked like they were ready to lose their cool at any stage. "We understand –" Lance went to continue but it seemed that Shiro's concern for Winry was warranted as she interrupted Lance before he could get any further in a burst of rage.

"Oh, please! You've only been friends with Edward for six months! _We're_ his family!" Winry snapped, gesturing wildly at those around her, almost hitting Alphonse in the process. "How could you _possibly_ understand anything?!" she snarled, eyes shining wetly.

"Winry Rockbell, that is enough!" Pinako snapped at her granddaughter before Lance or one of the other members of Voltron could. Winry flinched at both the use of her full name and the tone Pinako used. "Now I understand that you're upset and that you're hurting because of what Edward just told us but that is no reason for you to lash out at people who _Ed_ considers close friends, if not family himself," Pinako scolded.

Winry shrunk in on herself slightly but Shiro could see the defiant look in her eyes and knew that Pinako's lecture hadn't quite had the effect the Rockbell matriarch had intended. But Winry didn't get the chance to say anything in retaliation as Alphonse took over the talk. "Winry's right," Al said softly. "You couldn't possibly understand what we're going through or what we're feeling right now. You aren't us and you can't say that you understand because you _don't._ As close as you are to Ed, he didn't hide this from all of you for over a year. Your _brother_ didn't sacrifice an unknown amount of his lifespan just so he wouldn't die from an injury he wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't left him!"

Everyone seemed to freeze at those words. From the way Alphonse looked, he obviously hadn't meant to say that out loud but it was too late for him to take the words back. "Alphonse," Lance said, his voice low and gentle. "It wasn't your fault Ed got into that fight. You couldn't have known what would happen and Winry and Scar and the others all needed to be warned about Fort Briggs no longer being safe," he told the youngest Elric, who immediately scoffed.

"Yeah, right," Al said derisively. "Ed is the biggest trouble magnet in Amestris. We should've found another way to reach Fort Briggs. Major Miles was able to get that message from the Fort telling us that General Armstrong had been asked to come to Central, leaving the fortress in a Bradley loyalist's hands so he should've been able to get a coded message back, ordering someone to intercept Scar and Winry's group before they were accidentally caught," Al said, looking like he wanted to pace the room but the amount of people in it made it impossible for him to give into that urge. "Or I could've stayed with Ed, taken care of Kimblee and headed out after the group once that was done. I would've only been a few hours behind them, half a day at most and they would've had to stop at some point to rest while I could've kept going," he continued saying, his voice getting slightly more agitated as he spoke.

"All of this second guessing will do you no good, Alphonse," Shiro said before Lance could respond. "You heard Ed tell you himself what he would've changed if he could've gone back in time to that moment but did any of that actually comfort you? Knowing that your brother would've done it differently if he knew then what he knows now but knowing there's no known way to go back in time?" he asked, giving Al a pointed look, even though the youngest alchemist in the house wasn't actually looking at him.

Al sighed slightly. "No, it didn't," he admitted. His defeated tone had Shiro giving him a comforting smile but Al didn't seem to react to it.

"What I don't understand here," Keith said, speaking for the first time since entering the house, "is why you're all so surprised and upset at the fact he kept this from you. Like Winry and Alphonse have pointed out rather bluntly," Shiro knew he wasn't imaging the undercurrent of hurt and slightly barbed tone in Keith's voice but he didn't interrupt his fellow Paladin to reprimand him, "we've only known Ed for six months but even I, someone who arguably doesn't pick up on social cues or emotions or that sort of stuff – as Lance keeps pointing out – have realised that Ed is more likely to lie or keep things from his friends and family if he thinks it's easier for them to not know," Keith said.

Winry puffed up again before anyone could stop her. "We're upset because he got so hurt that he had to sacrifice years of his _life_ just to keep himself alive long enough for a medical professional to see him! We're _upset_ ," she spat the word, "because he shouldn't have _lied_ to us about what happened in Baschool! We had a right to know!" she snarled.

Shiro could see Keith steel himself so he didn't flinch backwards in the face of her fury and decided to step in before his adopted brother retaliated and made the situation all that much harder to deal with. "What I think Keith is trying to figure out is why you're upset Ed hid this from you when you all know full well that Ed keeps this sort of thing secret," Shiro said, looking to Keith for confirmation and sighing internally when Keith nodded once. "I mean, aside from four of you outside Edward and Alphonse, none of you knew the truth behind what happened that night to cause Ed and Al's injuries for almost two years, if not more in some cases if I'm remembering correctly," Shiro pointed out and got a couple of confirming nods in return from Havoc and Falman. "I'm sure there are plenty of things Ed has done during his missions over the years that he hasn't told you about for various reasons and you've found out about them later on down the track that you weren't impressed by," he continued saying and Mustang's nod was almost comical in how quickly and enthusiastically it came. "So why exactly is it so shocking to learn he kept this from you?" Shiro asked plainly.

Lance saw a flash of something dangerous in Winry's eyes and knew the blonde automail mechanic had – despite Shiro's efforts – taken his words as a personal attack so he decided to cut her off before she could say something she'd regret. "We're not judging you," he said, deliberately not looking solely at Winry so that she wouldn't feel called out. "We're just trying to understand where all of your anger is coming from," he told them, "because we don't get it," he said honestly.

"Yeah," Pidge said, adding her voice to the mix. "I don't know exactly what Shiro's talking about since I don't know the details of what Ed and Al did but it sounds like it's as big a deal as this and we've not heard anything about you guys taking that reveal this badly," she told them. "I get that it's upsetting and it hurts to know that Ed gave up some of his life so he could heal a really bad injury but, I mean, Alphonse, you sacrificed your life so Ed would survive Father during Promised Day," she reminded them. "Isn't that kind of what Ed did 15 months ago? He knew he was going to die so he made what had to have been an extremely hard to decision so that he would survive just like you knew that if Father wasn't stopped, everyone was going to die, including yourself so you made a hard decision so that Father didn't win. Both of you sacrificed something irreplaceable for the greater good. The only difference between both those actions – aside from the obvious – is that Ed hid what he'd done," she pointed out.

Al's golden eyes blazed at the Green Paladin ferociously and Shiro was a little afraid that Pidge may have pushed Al a little too far. "My decision wasn't made because I'd gotten into a fight I had no reason to be fighting in the first place! Ed's injuries were brought about because he was reckless! He didn't think before he got into that fight with Kimblee! His morals just wouldn't let him have Major Miles deal with Kimblee like he wanted to!" Al snapped at her. "My decision was made because I couldn't let my big brother die at the hands of that maniac when I had a way to fix it! My seal was decaying so I knew it wouldn't have been long before it gave out completely. I wouldn't have survived being bonded to that armour much longer even if Father had been beaten without Mei reversing my seal and I knew it!" he snarled defensively.

Shiro opened his mouth to respond to Al's outburst but was beaten to it by someone he hadn't expected. "Enough, Alphonse," Izumi ordered curtly. Al's mouth immediately closed with a near audible click. "You know Pidge has some good points," she said, nodding to the Green Paladin as she moved to stand in front of Al so he had to face her, but to the side of him so her back wasn't to Voltron. "I don't believe for a second that Ed made the decision he did without you being the only thing on his mind at the time," Izumi informed him. "He may have claimed that he didn't want to risk Father winning the fight and destroying the country without him there or that he figured the homunculi would have some way to create new human sacrifices even if he died and while I don't doubt that those thoughts did cross his mind as Darius and Heinkel helped him, I firmly believe that the deciding factor to his decision was you," she said. "Just as he was the deciding factor behind your decision a year ago." Her glare dared her ex-pupil to try and argue with her. Alphonse didn't even look like he wanted to.

"You and Edward are no strangers to making a decision in a split second that could have resulted in one of you dead when the alternative was the death or injury of someone else," Izumi went on saying after a few moments, keeping her ex-student pinned with that same glare. "This shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone in this room. We all claim to be Edward's friends or family so why the hell did this come to such a shock to any of us?" she asked, looking around at the room. "Ed's been a self-sacrificial idiot for most of his life and we're acting like this is the first time we've realised it." Izumi sighed as she shook her head. "I can't say that I'm completely innocent here. If there hadn't been so many people here who beat me at every opportunity to say something, I likely would've been saying something similar but now that I've had the chance to process Ed's words and actions, I know that anything I would've said would've been cruel and unfair to Ed," she told them, keeping her chin firmly up and meeting the main group face on as she admitted she'd almost done something wrong. From the way Al looked – though he was quick to hide it – it was apparent that it was rare for Izumi to admit that sort of thing, at least in front of him anyway.

Something in either Izumi's words or tone seemed to have made something in Mustang's mind click and he addressed the sole female alchemist in the house. "You approve of his decision," he said confidently and Izumi nodded, not bothering to hesitate.

"I do," she confirmed verbally. "Don't get me wrong," she said, eyes pinning Alphonse with an order to stay quiet before he could interrupt. Winry found herself on the receiving end only a moment later and both blondes obeyed the silent order, "I am not happy about what Ed has sacrificed and I will be beating the little idiot into the ground during our next spar for putting himself in that situation in the first place but I must admit, I am proud that he was able to make such a hard decision," Izumi told them. There was an undercurrent in her voice that dared them to try and make her feel ashamed of that.

Lance saw Pidge's aghast expression at the casual way Izumi said she planned on beating Ed to a pulp for what he'd done and for a moment, it confused him. Ed hadn't held back any details about how he and Al were trained by Izumi and the Lions had even seen some of his memories – a side effect of their bond with him was that they'd see his memories as he recounted them – so it confused Lance that she'd be so shocked.

"Are you being literal when you say you'll be beating Ed into the ground?" Pidge asked, interrupting Izumi with her question.

Izumi's eye twitched at the interruption and from the fearful flicker on Al's face, Lance knew he needed to run interference before they found out why Al looked that scared for Pidge. However, before he could, Hunk had grabbed Pidge by the shoulder and moved her towards the staircase so they wouldn't be interrupting the rest of them as Hunk explained what Pidge had obviously missed while working on her projects. The three Lions watched as Hunk led Pidge off to the side and Lance knew they were making sure that no one would try anything in retaliation for Pidge interrupting Izumi like she had. When the three Lions were sure nothing was going to happen, they turned back to pay attention to Izumi, who was continuing what she had been saying as though she hadn't been interrupted in the first place.

"As the boys' teacher, I tried to train them to use their alchemy for good and to be the only ones who have any say over how their alchemy was used. I also tried to teach them that life is precious and it was their duty to help those they could with their alchemy but I also trained them to understand that their survival should be their first priority," Izumi explained, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I was determined to beat that into them. They wouldn't be any help to anyone if they were dead because they didn't take the few seconds needed to ensure their surroundings were safe," she said. "While Edward may not have exactly made sure his situation was safe before he got into that fight with Kimblee, he did try his best to keep Major Miles and his men out of it since they would've been hampered by the snow cloud as much as Ed was. After the mine shaft collapsed, Ed made a decision that kept him alive so he could help save the country and I am proud of him," she said. "I am proud that he was able to think so clearly even though he had to have been in a lot of pain and was at risk of going into shock," Izumi told them.

"I am of a similar mindset as Mrs. Curtis," Hawkeye said, surprising most of them, not because of her words but because she spoke up. "Though it perhaps wasn't Edward's best decision to prevent Kimblee being killed by Major Miles' snipers by confronting and ultimately getting into a fight with him, his decision to sacrifice some of his lifespan so he could keep fighting was very admirable and I have nothing but respect for him for being brave enough to make that decision. Though I wish he had informed us all of this as soon as he could have, Keith and Pidge did point out the obvious. It truly shouldn't have been that surprising to any of us that he did keep this to himself," Hawkeye said. "Truly, the only thing I'm surprised about is that he didn't warn Darius and Heinkel that he _hadn't_ told us, thus avoiding this whole situation altogether," she admitted.

Lance was momentarily distracted by Pidge and Hunk rejoining the group once more, Pidge looking like she was more up to speed with everything than she had been. Before he could quietly check that she didn't have any questions, Pinako distracted him by speaking up. "The idiot admitted it himself; he'd completely forgotten that he hadn't told us and that Darius and Heinkel didn't know he hadn't told us," Pinako said, tapping her pipe on the coffee table in front of her. "I'm sure if he'd remembered that, he would've told them and none of this would have happened," she said before placing her pipe between her lips and inhaling then exhaling the acrid smoke. "I do have to say that now that I know all the details, I can't even pretend to be mad at Ed or his decision, both about Baschool and whether to tell us," she admitted with a gravelly sigh.

While Izumi, Hawkeye, and Pinako had all spoken, Lance had let himself feel like they'd managed to get through to everyone else about how they shouldn't be mad at Ed for keeping this from them but it seemed like her grandmother's admission caused Winry's temper to come back swinging. "You agree with him?!" she nearly shrieked in disbelief. "You think he did the right thing in not telling us?!"

"Yes," Pinako said firmly, cutting off anything else Winry was about to say and causing her granddaughter to falter slightly. "Both you and Alphonse have said that you had a right to know about this when in actual fact, only Alphonse had the right to know," Pinako informed her. "Though we claim to be, we are not Ed's blood family. We have no rights in demanding he tell us anything he doesn't want us to know. Maybe when he was a child I might have had some rights in getting information regarding him and whatnot since I was acting as his unofficial guardian, at least until he joined the military but we certainly don't even have that now that he's an adult," Pinako told her. "Just because we care about Edward as though he is our blood, he isn't and you need to get that through your head, Winry," Pinako said bluntly. "We have no right to any information about his life; only what he decides to tell us and if you keep trying to demand he tell you every little detail and spout off that you have the right to know it, he is going to cut you out of his life and you will deserve it," Pinako informed her.

Winry barely managed to get out a shocked gasp at her grandmother's lack of sugar-coating before Pinako started in on Al. "You may be his brother, Alphonse, but Ed is soon going to get as sick of you demanding he tell you everything as though it's your god-given right to know it as he will of Winry doing it and you'll find yourself in much the same situation as her," Pinako told him. "The two of you have been harping on about how Edward should have told you all of this but there is no law saying he had to. He didn't even have to explain it after Darius and Heinkel accidentally spilled the beans. He could've played it off or left it or told you all to shove off but he didn't. He decided to tell us all the truth and how have you repaid that? By demanding answers to questions he can't answer or demanding answers you want rather than the ones he has," she said, looking at Al pointedly, knowing the young blonde would know she was referring to his demands that there had to be a way to reverse Ed's decision despite his older brother telling him there wasn't, "and by continuingly berating him for being reckless and stupid for getting into that situation," she continued, focusing on both Winry and Al once more.

"What's worse is that you're doing that knowing full well that Ed likely had been beating himself up since the day he regained consciousness in that back alley doctor's home and telling himself the exact same things you've been saying over and over again," Pinako said. "Don't bother denying that you hadn't once thought you were being a bit harsh during this discussion," she said firmly when she noticed they were about to just that. "Both of you seem to be missing something that became blindingly obvious to me, at least, because you haven't given yourselves the chance to get off Ed's back and process what he said properly," Pinako told them.

"What's that?" Winry asked, almost scoffing at her grandmother but managing to keep that out of her tone so Pinako didn't have any reason to go off at her for being disrespectful.

"That Edward nearly died that day," Pinako said bluntly but somehow gently. "We could have lost him 15 months ago in that mineshaft and we might not have been able to get him back if Major Miles and his team weren't able to get down there if that had happened," she told them. Both teens seemed to freeze as her words sunk in. "Edward came within moments of death and all the two of you seem to be able to focus on is that he kept this a secret from us and I honesty can't say I blame him for doing that since this is how you're reacting," Pinako said honestly. "How do you think he feels right now? He's having to keep on a brave face for Elysia at the moment so that she doesn't get upset but I'm sure the both of you have a decent idea of what's going through his mind at the moment," Pinako said.

"He must've been so scared," Al whispered after a few moments. "Before he used that array, he must've been terrified that the price would be too much and that he wouldn't make it and he must've been feeling the same way when he faced all of us," he said, speaking a touch louder, "and all Winry and I did was yell at him and blame him instead of letting ourselves calm down first and think about what he'd told us," he said, voice catching on a sob that had Gracia moving to his side so she could wrap an arm around his shoulders in an effort to comfort him.

Winry's face seemed to pale slightly while her second childhood best friend spoke. "You're right, Granny," she said, voice not quite a whisper. "If I were Ed, I wouldn't have told us either if I knew this was how we'd react," she admitted, looking mildly stunned at her realisation.

Lance wasn't sure if that realisation came about because she agreed with her grandmother or because she'd figured out just how she'd been acting but he couldn't quite bring himself to let her beat herself up more than she already was. "You and Alphonse and most of those here are the people Ed considers his family," Lance said, gaining Winry's attention quickly. "You were upset and shocked by the price he had to pay and it is understandable that you'd react angrily to learning that but the important thing now is that you're realising that being angry wasn't the appropriate response," he said. "I know that it's hard to control your emotions when you receive news that shocking. Trust me, my family probably has a million stories of us losing our shit at someone else because of a situation similar to this but we're all slowly learning how to take the news calmly or remove ourselves from the room if we need time to collect our emotions so we don't lash out at one another and I know you guys can do the same here," Lance told her, voice laced with confidence.

"And if you don't take on what Lance has said and try to learn from it, I can guarantee that this won't be the last time Ed keeps you out of the loop," Shiro added, trying to soften the blow by keeping his voice as gentle as he could without losing his conviction. "How many more times do you think he'll sit through this sort of reaction before he decides he can't be honest with you without earning himself a tongue lashing like this? I know I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that anger myself," Shiro told them.

"We're not saying you can't be pissed at him or upset when he does something stupid and reckless," Lance said before anyone could say anything, "but family is supposed to a safe place to share things with without fear of judgement or being torn to shreds and I'll be honest, I'm not certain Ed can claim he'd come to most of you when he's done something and feel like he'd be able to tell you without being attacked for what he'd done," Lance divulged. "All we're trying to say is that if you want Ed to not keep you in the dark, you're going to have to start making it so that telling you about whatever stupid decision he made isn't more fearsome that being in the situation where he had to make that stupid decision," Lance said before he fell silent.

For several moments, no one spoke a word as they all let Voltron's words sink in. For Darius and Heinkel, they didn't seem to be as affected by the conversation but no one truly expected them to be since they weren't really involved in it. Izumi and Sig both looked like they were taking Voltron's words to heart and waiting for someone to say something argumentative so that they could put them in their place – at least, Izumi looked like she was waiting for that chance. Pinako and Hawkeye both seemed like they'd absorbed and agreed with what Lance and Shiro had said while Mustang and the rest of his team looked as though they were mentally compiling things they needed to apologise to Ed for and ways to make sure the blonde wouldn't think hiding something like what happened in Baschool was safer for him than telling them. Gracia looked like she was torn between keeping an arm around Al's shoulders while the younger Elric fought through his emotions and going upstairs so she could suffocate Ed with a hug of her own. Both Winry and Al still looked angry but Lance was almost positive that anger was aimed inwards rather than at anyone else.

" _Ed wants to know if it's safe for him to come back downstairs with Elysia and our missing sisters yet,"_ Black told Shiro, who pinched his face in contemplation.

"I think it might be best that he stayed up there for a few more minutes," Shiro told her after glancing at Lance, knowing Blue would've gotten and relayed the same message, and getting a small shrug from the Blue Paladin. "Give them time to calm down a bit more," Shiro said, turning to look at Black. She gave him a nod before presumably passing the message along as requested before they all fell back into silence.

The silence continued until Gracia decided to break it. "It has been a long day for all of us, what with the ceremony and now this," she said, gesturing at the room around her, "and we've all been given a lot to think about, thanks to Voltron," she added, giving Shiro, Lance, Keith, Hunk, and Pidge smiles before she looked back at the group. "I know that most of you might feel like this all has to be dealt with today but I think it might be a good idea for everyone to head back to their homes or hotel rooms for the night so you'll have the time and privacy to process everything," Gracia suggested. "I'm sure Ed won't mind catching up with those of you leaving tomorrow at the train station, if that's what you want and those of you staying in Central will have plenty of opportunity to talk to him later but right now, I think that everyone's emotions are still too high and it's not fair to any of you or Ed if you don't let yourselves process everything and try to deal with it anyway," she told them.

"Gracia is right," Hawkeye said before anyone else could speak. "It's nearing dark and most of us will benefit from stopping this talk here and getting a good night's sleep before coming back to it," she told them. "Plus, I don't think it's fair to Elysia or Edward that they stay upstairs for an unknown amount of time while we work through this," she added almost as an afterthought.

Gracia nodded in agreement. "I would like to get Elysia home before dark as well," she told them, a touch apologetically.

"Yeah. Maybe it'd be for the best if we did that," Al said after a couple of moments. "Nothing's going to be solved tonight anyway," he added a touch pessimistically but no one called him out on it.

"So we're all in agreement?" Gracia asked and received nods all around. "I'll go and get the four of them out of the study," she said, a touch of obvious relief in her voice and eyes.

"That's okay, Gracia," Shiro said, stopping her before she could move. "Black's already told Ed that they were all good to come back downstairs," he told her just before the sound of a door opening and multiple footsteps could be heard above them.

Shiro wasn't ashamed to admit that he was keeping one eye on those with him in the loungeroom and the other eye on the staircase as he waited for Ed, Elysia, Green, and Yellow to come down it just in case he had to either stop an argument before it could start or settle one if he couldn't stop it in the first place. The two Lions appeared first but were soon followed by Ed and Elysia, who were holding each other's hand while Elysia's free hand clutched numerous pieces of paper and Ed's free one lightly grasped the rail in case they tripped or missed a step.

"The Lions gave me the overview of what happened once I went upstairs," Ed said before anyone could say anything to him as Green and Yellow joined their pilots and Blue, Black, and Red checked up on Ed. "Elysia knows something bad happened to me 15 months ago, she knows it was because of a fight and she knows I had to pay a big price but she doesn't know the details. I promised her I'd explain it to her more when she's older," Ed told Gracia, who had stooped slightly to look at the pictures her daughter was now proudly showing her. "We also had another talk about eavesdropping on peoples conversations and this time Elysia promised me she wouldn't do it anymore, didn't you, El?" he asked, tone stern.

Elysia looked up sheepishly from showing her mother her drawings for Voltron. "Yes, big brother," she said. "I promise I won't do it no more," she said, shuffling a little where she stood.

"Good," Ed said, giving her a warm smile that told her she wasn't in trouble again like she obviously feared.

Gracia had glanced up when he first said Elysia's name and gave a relieved nod once he finished speaking to Elysia. "Thank you, Ed," she said gratefully.

"Don't bother thanking me, Miss Gracia," Ed said dismissively. "Always happy to wrangle a younger sibling in for their mother," he said, the familiar words falling from his lips automatically. He was relieved when they earned him an amused smile from Gracia and no outburst from Al, negative or otherwise. He could call that a win at least. "Black didn't actually tell me what prompted her telling me it was okay for Elysia to come back downstairs," Ed told them. It was obvious to everyone from the way Ed held himself and didn't quite meet anyone's eyes – other than Voltron and the Hughes' – that he either expected more yelling or some choice words to still be thrown his way.

"You and Voltron have given us a lot to think about," Pinako told him when it was obvious no one else was going to do so first. Ed shot Shiro and Lance a look but neither answered him. "From what you've told me about your American friends and what little I observed myself, I think I'd rather like to see them and Voltron meet one another," Pinako said, sounding cryptic to Ed, who didn't appreciate that one bit. "Those five certainly had some insightful things to say and we've decided that we're essentially going to put a hold on this conversation," Pinako told him.

When Ed's confusion didn't clear up, Hunk chimed up. "Since it's getting pretty late and most everyone is still pretty emotional from everything, Gracia thought it'd be a good idea for us to head back to wherever we're sleeping for the night and take the opportunity being somewhere private will give everyone to process everything that's been said this afternoon," he explained.

There was a flicker of nervousness in Ed's eyes but it was gone almost instantly. "Alright," he said, unable to hide his uncertainty with the plan but made it apparent he would go along with it. "Probably a good idea to get El home before it gets too dark anyways," Ed said with a small shrug, "and I guess it wouldn't hurt to have some time to absorb everything as well," he added.

"You can expect phone calls in the morning from those who'll be leaving on trains tomorrow if they want to speak with you more before they go and you can be damned sure you and I will be continuing this conversation during our next spar," Izumi informed him, looking mildly pleased with the fear that flickered across Ed's face at her tone and words.

"Yes, Teacher," Ed agreed immediately, knowing it was pointless trying to argue.

"You're a damned fool, Edward Elric," Izumi continued saying, her stern tone adding to her words, before her face softened slightly, much to Ed's surprise, "but I am proud that you were able to stay strong enough while that injured in order to decide to do what you did," she told him, stepping the three steps forward she needed to in order to sweep him into a hug, which had Ed freezing momentarily.

"Thank you, Teacher," Ed mumbled into her shoulder as he returned her hug.

The hug didn't last long before Izumi was pulling away from him and fixing him with one of her fiercer glares. "My pride in you won't get you out of the arse-whooping coming your way though," she warned him as she stepped back to join Sig once more.

"I'd expect nothing less," Ed said, half a smirk on his face. Though he knew the beat down he was going to get from Izumi would be on par with the one he and Al received when she'd learned they'd tried to bring their mother back from the dead, Ed was honestly so relieved to know that there was someone other than Voltron who was on his side and that relief was overruling his fear right now.

"Sig and I will be staying in town for a couple of days so the three of us," Izumi gestured to herself, Edward and Alphonse, "will be finding somewhere to have our spar and I'll see just how much you've been neglecting your training," Izumi informed them, tone telling them there was no way they could get out of it.

"Of course, Teacher," Ed and Al said at the same time and Izumi looked pleased at both the lack of argument and glint of challenge she saw in their eyes.

"Edward," Hawkeye caught Ed's attention, "I want you to know that while I'm not entirely pleased that you kept this from us or with the price you had to pay," it was obvious she was choosing her words carefully because of Elysia, "but I am also proud of you. I don't think I can name many people who I know for certain would've done something like you did but even if I hadn't already known you had, I know your name would've been the first I said if I'd been asked," Hawkeye told him.

Lance barely managed to hide his grin when Ed's cheeks pinkened slightly at Hawkeye's words or how he seemed to be unable to find the words for a moment. "Thank you, Captain Hawkeye," Ed said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"What they both said," Pinako croaked, getting the attention off of Ed, which he appreciated. "I'm glad we didn't lose you that day because you had the guts to make that kind of decision," she told him.

"Thanks, Granny," Ed said, still feeling that amazed disbelief that some of those in the room weren't completely pissed at him. Better yet, they seemed to be siding _with_ him.

Sure, Ed had known Voltron was on his side and that Darius and Heinkel weren't against him but he hadn't hidden this from Voltron, for the most part and certainly not for so long, and both the chimeras had been there in the first place so he'd never hidden this from them. But to know that some of those who he cared about, highly respected and considered family and had kept this from them for over a year were not only not pissed at him but were actually _proud_ of him for making the call he did was more than he could've hoped for. Honestly, he couldn't think of a time similar to this in any way.

Gracia looked around at those who hadn't spoken – specifically Mustang, Winry and Alphonse – before she glanced back over to Ed. "I think the others need some more time, Ed," she told him gently.

Ed nodded at her. "Not really surprised," he muttered to her, low enough that most those couldn't hear him since they weren't close enough to him.

Gracia gave him a sympathetic smile before she adopted her stern-mothering persona. "Right, if no one has anything more they need to say to Edward right this moment, I suggest you start heading to home or to your hotel room," she said firmly. "Roy, thank you for letting us use your home for this," Gracia said as she started herding Elysia towards Ed and Voltron.

"It was no problem, Gracia," Mustang said, seeming mildly perplexed that he was being thanked in the first place. "I don't think your apartment would've fit all of us," he added, a half-smirk on his face that had Gracia roll her eyes fondly.

"You're probably right," Gracia said as she took the pictures Elysia drew, folded them gently and placed them in her purse so they wouldn't be lost, "however it would've been far politer of you if you hadn't mentioned that. See if I save you from an impromptu dinner party again," she threatened. Ed didn't bother hiding his snort at both her threat and the look on Mustang's face in response to it. The glare Mustang gave him gave Ed some hope that maybe his commanding officer wasn't as pissed at him as Al and Winry seemed to be.

" _You know Al better than anyone and you're one of the few people who know Winry almost as well as she knows herself,"_ Blue's soothing voice said in Ed's mind. _"You know what they're most likely thinking and feeling right now and you know they aren't going to hate you forever but they need some time,"_ she told him.

"Yeah, I know," Ed told her, keeping their conversation silent as he picked Elysia up at her insistence. "Doesn't really help knowing that though," he added.

" _I know it doesn't,"_ Blue said sympathetically. Ed could feel the other Lions' sympathy through their bonds and he made sure they all knew that he appreciated that.

Ed's attention was grabbed by the sound of movement and he looked up in time to see Izumi and Sig walking towards him as they headed for the door, followed by most everyone else. "We have Gracia's number and we'll call you when we have time to spare for our sparring session," Izumi told Ed as the couple walked past him.

"Sounds good," Ed told her honestly. He was looking forward to this sparring session, if only because he knew Al would have to interact with him in a positive way, assuming he and Al didn't sort this tension out beforehand.

Izumi nodded as Sig clapped a comforting hand onto Ed's shoulder, squeezing it tightly before he let go and followed his wife out of the house. Darius and Heinkel were the next ones to leave and – to Ed's annoyance – ruffled Ed's hair as they headed out the door. He couldn't swear at them because of Elysia but he made sure his glare told them that the next time the chimeras saw him, there'd be some kind of retribution taken. Most the team then followed suit, though Havoc did pause to let Ed know he'd be waiting outside to take him, the Hughes' and whoever was heading back to theirs with them in the car he'd borrowed to bring most of those at Mustang's that afternoon over. Falman paused once Havoc was out the door to let Ed know that he'd be taking the Curtises and Rockbells back to their hotel. Darius and Heinkel were apparently going to be given a lift by Falman as well but with how Winry had gone off at them earlier, both chimeras had opted to walk back to their hotel rather than share the ride, unwilling to make tensions worse. Personally, Ed thought it was a good move on their part since they could look after themselves and being in a car with an angry Winry wasn't on the top of Ed's to-do list either.

Much to Ed's relief, Alphonse walked out the door as well. He may have not looked at Ed on his way out but he did leave Mustang's, which hopefully meant he was heading back to Gracia's for the night. Ed knew Al probably wouldn't ask Winry, Pinako or Izumi if he could stay with them for the night but there was still a small part of him that thought Al might. So long as Al got into Havoc's car and not Falman's, Ed would consider this night a win.

Yellow, Green, and Red took turns in demanding pats from both Ed and Elysia – much to the young girl's delight – before they joined their humans back over where they stood near Mustang. "We'll wait for the two of you outside," Shiro said as he, Lance, Blue, Black, and Gracia headed for the door to join Havoc.

Ed gave him a confused look since he'd fully planned on following them out as soon as he'd given the three remaining Paladins a goodnight wave and let Elysia say goodnight. Shiro gave him an amused but supportive smirk that had Ed even more confused until Shiro glanced over his shoulder and nodded almost imperceptibly at Mustang. When Ed followed his gaze and glanced himself, he could see that Mustang obviously wanted a word with him but didn't want to call him in the middle of everyone leaving. Curiousity had Ed actually stay where he was rather than immediately give into his impulse to beat Shiro and Lance out the door and into Havoc's car.

"What's wrong, big brother?" Elysia asked, having noticed Ed's tension and was obviously confused about why since – in her eyes – he had no reason to be.

"Gotta talk to your uncle before I can leave his house apparently," Ed told her. "How much do you wanna bet he's gonna lecture me about something, huh?" he asked her, jostling her slightly and making her giggle as she instinctively scrabbled to grab a hold of some his clothing to lessen the feeling that he was going to drop her.

"Nu-uh, big brother! Uncle Roy's not gonna lec'ure you!" she told him, still giggling.

"How do you know, little miss?" Ed asked as Mustang spoke quietly with the six members of Voltron still in his house. Whatever he was saying, Keith didn't look awfully happy about it but Hunk nodded, grabbed both Keith and Pidge by the shoulders and all but shoved the two into the kitchen, the Lions following dutifully behind, with the exception of Red, who sat there and glared at Mustang, daring him to tell her to leave the room. Mustang did the smart thing and let her stay there.

"'Cuz that's not his mad face," Elysia told him, bringing Ed's attention back to her.

"Well, here's hoping you're right, princess," Ed said as he headed over to where Mustang was standing and pretending he didn't notice the warning glare he was getting from the Red Lion. "What's up?" Ed asked once he was closer to Mustang.

Mustang gave Elysia a smile that she returned even as she made no move to indicate she wanted to go to her uncle, not that it seemed like Mustang was expecting her to. Mustang's focus turned from his adopted niece to his youngest subordinate. "I just wanted – no, I think I needed you to know before you left my home tonight that…" Mustang trailed off as he obviously tried to figure out what he was trying to say. Both Elysia and Ed shared a questioning look before Ed shrugged and paid attention to Mustang once more, who now seemed surer of what he was trying to say. "I just needed you to know that I'm not angry with you over what you had to do," he said. "I'm not happy you had to do what you did but I think I'm mostly unhappy because you were in that situation without anyone as backup to make sure you wouldn't have been in that position in the first place," Mustang told him. "And as much as what you had to pay upsets me, I am so happy that you could and did make that call," Mustang told him.

Ed was so stunned that it took Elysia tightening her grip on his jackets for him to even respond. "Oh," he said eloquently. Mustang snorted softly and that seemed to jumpstart Ed's brain once more. "Well, thanks, Mustang," Ed said. "I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled about the price either in hindsight but in that moment, it seemed like a pretty good deal to me," Ed told him. "But thanks for telling me," Ed said quietly, not quite managing to muster up the courage to look Mustang in the eye. Despite the fact that Mustang said he wasn't mad, Ed couldn't quite make himself fully believe that, what with his track record with this sort of thing.

"Alphonse and Winry will come around soon enough," Mustang told him, voice far gentler than Ed was used to hearing. "I know only Captain Hawkeye spoke up but I think the men were still a little in shock. Havoc was the only one who heard you yesterday but I know it was still a shock to him to hear all of the details of that fight. They may not have spoken up when Mrs. Curtis, Captain Hawkeye, and Ms. Rockbell did but I know the four of them stand behind you as well," Mustang assured him and Ed felt a small piece of him relax at that. If anyone who was here in this house this afternoon could say with any certainty what Fuery, Breda, Falman, and Havoc all thought to this, it would've been Mustang. Mustang cleared his throat slightly, catching Ed's attention again. "I know Mrs. Curtis said she and her husband would remain in Central for a couple of days and that most everyone is leaving tomorrow so you have my permission to take a couple of personal days if you require them. I'll let you know if Fuhrer Grumman asks after you but you don't need to report into the base until the Curtises have gone home," Mustang said.

Ed knew what Mustang was doing and he was immensely grateful for it. Knowing he'd be able to talk to those leaving tomorrow without having to worry about being called in and assigned a mission – as low as though chances were of that happening with Voltron still in Amestris – or having to talk to someone in the middle of seeing someone off at the train station was extremely relieving. "Thanks, Mustang. That'll be really good. Don't want Winry to be madder at me because I had to ditch her and Granny at the train station mid-conversation," Ed told him, only half-jokingly.

"That's probably for the best," Mustang said, his own voice laced with levity. "You should probably head on out before someone comes looking for you and Elysia," he said to Ed, nodding towards his front door.

"Yeah, you're probably right. They might think I've kidnapped Elysia for real this time," Ed said, poking Elysia lightly in the ribs, making her laugh as he hit her ticklish spots. Her laughter had Ed grinning widely at the noise.

Mustang grinned at the scene in front of him. "Probably a good idea," he told Ed, once the blonde had taken mercy on his adopted little sister. "I'll see you later, Ed," Mustang said.

"Yeah," Ed said as he started backing up towards the door, waving goodbye to Red and the five other members of Voltron who were doing a poor job of pretending they weren't eavesdropping on the conversation. The other two Lions didn't even bother pretending they weren't listening in and grinned when Ed pretended to mentally admonish them for it. "I'll see you later, Mustang," Ed said, "and thanks for, you know, being honest," he said.

"Any time, Ed," Mustang said, giving the blonde a small smile. "Bye, Elysia, and behave yourself for your mother," he instructed the young girl who grinned at him.

"I will, Uncle Roy!" Elysia promised him, waving at Mustang while Ed got the door open.

Ed glanced back in the house just in time to see Red give Mustang an unreadable look as she got up and joined her team members in the kitchen. Mustang looked as stumped as Ed was amused by the look. "Maybe I should be telling the three of you to behave yourselves," Ed said to the three Lions as he shut the door behind him and Elysia.

" _Like you wouldn't have been doing the same thing in our position,"_ Red sassed him.

"You got me there," Ed laughed as he headed across Mustang's front lawn to where Havoc and the others heading to Gracia's house were sitting in the car. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," Ed said as he placed Elysia on her own two feet so she could climb into the car. To Ed's relief, Elysia ended up sitting next to Alphonse, negating any lingering fears that Alphonse was going to stay in someone's hotel room or get one of his own.

" _Bye, Ed,"_ all three Lions chorused at the same time, making the corner of Ed's lips tick upwards in a small smirk as he followed Elysia into the car.

"Everything okay?" Gracia asked, glancing worriedly between Ed and Mustang's front door.

"Yeah," Ed said, giving her a warm smile. "Everything seems to be pretty alright considering," he told her, leaning back in the seat and feeling like he actually meant his words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're five chapters away from ending this story! How exciting! Special thanks to NagaTreeCrester for leaving me a review on every single chapter without fail! I really appreciate your feedback and just want to thank you once more for being as awesome as you are :)  
> I hope the rest of you like it and please let me know what you think to it! See you all next week!


	33. Chapter 33

"That was far more exhausting than any interrogation by Armstrong or Mustang," Ed said, sighing as he slumped onto the closest empty train station bench as the whistle from the train heading to Resembool pierced the air while its wheels squealed as it pulled away from the station with the Rockbell women and Ishvalan elders on board.

" _For us as well and we weren't even the ones being lectured and interrogated by Winry,"_ Red said dryly as she and Green joined Ed on the bench he'd collapsed on. Ed huffed a little as he sat up straighter so he wasn't taking up quite as much room as he had been, allowing the two Lions to fit a little more comfortably. _"I didn't even realise someone could do both at once, although both Shiro and Lance have come exceptionally close,"_ she told him.

"As true as that may have been, it is very rude of you to say that out loud," Lance said, Blue having obviously informed her pilot of what her sister had said.

Since Red looked thoroughly unapologetic, Ed decided to shift the conversation slightly. "I will openly admit that I got off lucky," he said. "I got lucky that the Ishvalans were heading home on the same train and that Winry had to let up when Darren announced that boarding was starting or risk being stuck in Central for another eight hours," he told them.

"I would've pegged her as the type to do just that to make sure she got everything off her chest," Keith said casually.

"Normally you wouldn't be wrong," Ed told him, "but Granny would've dragged her onto that train by her ear if she'd tried and Winry knew it as well as I did," he said. "She just saved herself the humiliation of being treated like an unruly child by a woman nearly four times her age and half her size," Ed added with a shrug.

Ed had managed to avoid the impending discussion with Winry and Pinako for nearly twenty extra minutes when he'd spotted the Ishvalan elders standing near the train bound for Resembool. It was obvious that even after a year, many Amestrian citizens still weren't entirely comfortable with Ishvalans in public since they were so used to only seeing them in slums or at night, when it had been far safer for the Ishvalan refugees to move through Central since it lowered their chances of being assaulted or arrested. Though he would deny it if asked directly, Ed knew that part of the reason he had gone over to Scar, Teman and the others was so he could avoid Winry for a little longer. Alphonse hadn't joined him, choosing to stay with Winry and Pinako – who were pretending they couldn't see Scar standing only a couple of train cars away – so Ed had approached them on his own and ended up speaking with mainly Scar and Teman until he knew he couldn't put off facing Winry and Pinako any longer. After saying goodbye to the group and promising Scar and Teman that he would visit Ishval as soon as he could and would write to Scar in a couple of weeks, Ed had headed back towards where the Rockbells, Alphonse and Voltron were standing, trying to pretend he wasn't walking towards certain death.

The discussion between Ed and the Rockbell women – or, more specifically, Winry – had been quiet but heated. Winry had apparently taken on board what Shiro and Lance had said the previous afternoon, as well as what Izumi, Hawkeye and Pinako had added on top of the Blue and Black Paladins' words, because she wasn't quite as pissed off as she had been the previous day however that didn't mean she'd forgiven him completely for hiding what he'd done in Baschool. She'd been nice enough to wait for the group to find as quiet a spot as they could in Central Station before she'd laid into Ed, who – much to most of Voltron's surprise – had kept his temper under control remarkably well.

Ed knew he'd both gotten off easier and worse than he would've under any other situation and the reasons for that been because of the train's departure time and because Al hadn't stuck around after saying goodbye to Pinako and Winry, telling the two women he had made plans the previous day with Izumi and Sig to spend the day with them. Ed hadn't been surprised by Al's departure but he had been hurt by it, nonetheless. Without Al there, it meant no one was there to run interference between Ed and Winry. Pinako had merely allowed her granddaughter and adopted grandson to talk and insult it out, knowing it was better that way from experience while Voltron had stayed out of it at Ed's request, which he had given via the Lions when Winry had started into her rant.

"So what's the plan now?" Shiro asked after a few moments of silence when it was obvious no one else was going to break it.

Ed sighed as he scratched Red and Green behind the ears before he sat up a little more. "Well, I know Teacher and Sig want to explore Central for a bit; get some things for their shop and home, you know?" Ed said. "That's what I'm assuming Al is doing now," he added, a hint of unsurety in his voice, making it obvious to even those who weren't bonded with him that he was uncomfortable with the idea that he had no clue what his brother was up to because they weren't talking. "Then Teacher wants our spar to happen at some point but it depends on Teacher when that happens. Hohenheim may have healed her enough that she doesn't spit up blood if she pushes herself too hard now but she still tires easily. Years of stress on her body have weakened it enough that she's taking even longer than Al to heal fully, according to her," Ed told them, tone edged with sadness. "Doesn't slow her down though," he huffed before anyone could try and say anything sympathetic, "so I know that spar will happen either this afternoon or before lunch tomorrow," Ed told them.

"Darius and Heinkel left this morning to drive back out west to where they've been living for the last year," Ed continued before anyone could interrupt. The two chimeras hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of their departure. Ed had been the only one who'd known about it and that was solely because they'd told him the previous afternoon before they'd left the Promised Day memorial service and lunch. He'd left Gracia's early that morning to see them off before joining Voltron and Al at the train station to see Winry and Pinako. "I have no clue what Ling and his guards' plans are so no clue when they're gonna up and leave but probably not until after they finish whatever diplomatic crap they need to do with Grumman," he told them, causing the three youngest Paladins to try and smother their laughter. "Gracia and Elysia have work and school and I'd really rather not go onto the base if I don't have to," he said, getting understanding nods from most everyone, "which means that I am open to suggestions," Ed said, gesturing at all of them.

However, before anyone could even think of something to suggest, a vaguely familiar voice to Voltron and an all-too familiar voice to Ed called out from across the train station. "Edward!"

Ed visibly sagged as he groaned. "Motherfuc-" he cut himself off as Ling, Lan Fan and Li Jun appeared in front of him. "Hi, guys," Ed said, giving them the warmest smile he could muster, ignoring the snickers he could hear from Voltron.

"What are you all doing here?" Ling asked, seemingly oblivious to Ed's barely chipper attitude. "Leaving to head off somewhere?" Ling asked, though he didn't seem to believe Ed would confirm that that was why they were at the train station.

"No, making sure Winry and Granny got on the train to Resembool," Ed told him. "What about you lot? I thought you guys would've been tied up with Grumman all morning, at the very least," he said, eyes glancing between Ling and Lan Fan.

Ling eyed the spots of the bench where Red and Green were laying as though he was considering either asking them to move or risking his life and wedging himself in there anyway. Thankfully, Ling wisely decided against either option, saving himself from injury and Lan Fan from either being killed coming to his defence or the Lions being hurt when both guards attacked in retaliation. "Actually, we're all done speaking with Fuhrer Grumman," Ling told Ed, pretending like he hadn't been one decision away from near certain death.

" _You know we wouldn't have killed him, right?"_ Black asked as Ed raised a surprised brow at Ling.

"That was faster than I thought," Ed said to the emperor. "You would've maimed him but then killed Lan Fan and Li Jun in self-defence and we can't have that," Ed said to Black through their bond, barely managing to hide his amused smile at Black's lack of argument as Ling spoke.

"Your Fuhrer is very efficient and his secretary more so," Ling told him, unhidden amusement in his voice. "Miss Samantha had set our meeting up this morning so that it ran smoothly and with no interruptions. We were able to discuss everything we needed to about opening up trade routes between Xing and Amestris, as well as other important matters in far less time than even I had hoped," he explained.

Ed grinned in amusement at the comment about Samantha. "Yeah, Miss Samantha is brilliant at making sure Grumman stays on track so he doesn't mess up her schedule," Ed said with a small chuckle. "So now that your talks are all done, what are the three of you doing now?" he asked curiously.

"We're planning to head back to Xing," Ling told him. "We're actually catching a train north in an hour since it'll be easier for us to make the trip from your northern-eastern border than crossing the Great Eastern Desert and skirting Ishval," Ling explained.

Ed frowned slightly as he sat forward. "It is?" he asked and Ling nodded, backed up by both Lan Fan and Li Jun. "So that's the way you crossed to come over here?" Ed asked and again, Ling and his guards nodded.

"Compared to Lan Fan and mine's first trip over here to your beautiful country, it's far more manageable and comfortable," Ling said with a small chuckle.

"You certainly showed up in better condition this time than how we found you in Rush Valley," Ed commented dryly, earning himself some boisterous laughter from Ling.

"That is certainly true!" the emperor said cheerfully before gasping slightly. Ed was 80% certain Ling had done so for dramatic effect. "Which also reminds me," Ling said before he turned to Lan Fan and gestured to her. To Ed's confusion, the female guard produced a medium sized wooden chest Ed hadn't noticed amongst the gear they had bundled together and handed it over to Ling. The emperor accepted it with a small nod and turned back to Ed, whose brows were raised higher in confusion. "Please accept my apologies on how long it has taken me to do this, Edward," Ling said, speaking far more seriously than Ed had heard outside of a fight or in situations like when Lan Fan was being treated in the run-down, abandoned shack on the outskirts of Central by Doctor Knox.

Ed stood up from the bench, jostling Red and Green slightly as he did so. Accepting the chest, Ed's eyes widened slightly from the sheer weight of it. "What's in this?" he asked before he could stop himself. Even as he spoke, he took in the details of the chest and noted that the dark wood was beautifully carved with images and scenery from Xing. It was obvious that whoever had created this chest was exceptionally talented and Ed knew Ling likely had paid a hefty price for this item, even if he was emperor now.

"It's not locked," Ling chuckled.

It was very apparent that Ed was not amused by Ling's non-answer but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he shifted the chest so he was holding it more firmly in his right arm than his left so he could use that hand to open the chest. Flicking the silver latch open, Ed lifted the lid of the chest high enough for him to see the contents. What he saw in there made a grin spread across his face before he could stop it and he didn't bother holding back his laughter. "I cannot believe you actually decided to pay me back," Ed laughed.

Ling's grin had grown wider with Ed's amusement. "Do you want to count it? Make sure I've paid you completely back?" he asked, voice bubbly with humour.

"I think I'll trust you on that," Ed told him. "Though did you really have to pay me back in Xingese currency?" Ed asked, brow raised as Ling laughed.

"Of course!" the emperor exclaimed cheerily. "What use do we have for Amestrian money when there aren't any trading routes open yet?" he asked, earning himself a flat look from the alchemist.

"And now I conveniently have Xingese currency for when those trading routes are open," Ed deadpanned, his flat expression deepening when Ling's grin grew even further.

"I hadn't thought about it like that! How amazing!" Ling cheered, earning himself a headshake from Ed as the blonde shifted the chest under his right arm.

"You're not as smooth as you think you are," Ed informed him, pointing a warning finger at the emperor. "Maybe I'll ask the banks here to convert it into Amestrian money," Ed told him, earning himself an exaggeratingly betrayed look.

"That's just cruel, Edward. I thought we were friends," Ling gasped, getting a trademark Elric eyeroll for his troubles.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered, a smirk on his face. "When do you leave again?" he asked, faux eagerly and earning himself another dramatic gasp that had him laughing.

Ling gave up on his betrayed act a moment later and joined Ed in laughing. Voltron realised quite quickly how much more relaxed Ed seemed now that Ling had lightened the atmosphere and it didn't take them long to figure out that Ling had actually noticed Ed's behaviour before he'd greeted the blonde and had been determined to make Ed feel better. Shiro was a little amazed at the fact that Ling had not only noticed Ed's mood – especially considering how well Ed hid his negative emotions from everyone – but had been able to cheer Ed up without making it obvious that that was what he was doing. He couldn't help but feel some gratefulness towards the emperor of Xing in that moment but he didn't comment on it, if only because he didn't want to embarrass Ed.

"You're so mean to me," Ling complained, even as he grinned and Ed rolled his eyes once more.

"Completely cruel, I know," Ed laughed before his eyes widened slightly, as though he'd just noticed something. "Hey, where's everyone's favourite princess and panda duo?" he asked even as he looked around Ling, Lan Fan and Li Jun as best he could, as though searching for Mei and Xao-Mei.

"We saw Alphonse on our way to the train station. I gave her permission to stay with him so long as she was here at least fifteen minutes before the time we were told we could start boarding our train. She knows that if I have to send Li Jun after her, I won't be impressed," Ling told him, causing Ed to snort.

"I can only imagine what your face looked like when Ling told Mei that, Lan Fan," Ed said, getting a barely-there nod from Lan Fan while Ling acted like he had no idea what Ed was referring to. "I lost count of the amount of times you decided not to listen to your guards and had to be dragged away from whatever stupid ass situation you were in by them when Lan Fan and Fu did catch up to you," Ed informed him flatly.

"I can't remember any such situation. Maybe all of that fighting has created some memory problems for you," Ling said flippantly.

Ed wasn't the only one to notice the flat look Lan Fan managed to pull off through her mask where only her eyes could be seen and Ed admired her ability to do that. "You just keep thinking that," Ed said as he shifted the chest slightly so it sat more comfortably against his side. "Well, since you guys have to wait for Mei to say goodbye to Al, how about we all get some lunch from the café here?" Ed suggested, nodding in the direction of the one café in Central he'd probably spent far too much time in.

Ling looked at Shiro for his opinion and Shiro shrugged a shoulder. "I don't think any of us have any arguments against that," he said, looking at the nine other members of Voltron and got no sign that someone didn't want to head to the café.

"Excellent!" Ling exclaimed, looking thoroughly excited by the prospect of having lunch with Ed and Voltron. "I've been rather intrigued by your group and this will give me the perfect opportunity to ask you some questions!" Ling told them.

Shiro wasn't entirely sure if he should be worried about that, especially considering how enthusiastic Ling sounded but Ed and Black didn't seem worried so Shiro decided he wouldn't be either. "I wouldn't mind learning some more about your country and culture either, Emperor Ling," Shiro said politely before flinching minutely with surprise when Ling flapped a hand at him.

"Please," Ling said. "Any friend of Ed's is a friend of mine, which means that none of you have to address me by my title. Just call me Ling," he told them, giving them all a wide smile before he turned his attention onto Ed. "Your shout?" Ling asked cheekily before laughing as he moved out of Ed's striking range when the blonde glared at him.

"You're an arse," Ed informed him, flipping the Xingese emperor off as the man laughed at him. "But I'm feeling generous at the moment so why not?" Ed said as he took a couple of steps in the general direction of the café.

"Further proof of your endless generosity!" Ling cried as he glomped onto Ed's left side – the only side he could if he didn't want to be clinging to both Ed and the chest he'd given him.

Ed immediately yelped when Ling started clinging to him and tried – unsuccessfully – to shove the emperor off of him. "We'll see how endless that generosity is if you keep hugging me!" Ed snarled. The whole situation earned them some curious and amused glances from the strangers milling around the train station that Ed didn't notice since he was too busy trying to get Ling to stop acting like a barnacle or Elysia after he'd been away for days on a mission.

Lance was almost red in the face from his efforts in keeping his laughter in but those efforts failed when he saw exactly how unphased and unhelpful Lan Fan and Li Jun were with Ed's plight. The glare he earned from the blonde alchemist was almost worth seeing Ed doing so with his left hand smooshed against Ling's face, pushing him away while the emperor clung tighter and grinned happily under Ed's palm as they continued their trek to the café. Lance noted that Lan Fan had to place a hand on Li Jun's arm quickly when Ed started swearing at Ling, silently telling him that their emperor was in no danger and, much to Lance's relief, Li Jun relaxed enough that it wasn't immediately obvious he was still a little on edge.

" _It's nice that Ling is distracting him so that Ed isn't stressing over what happened yesterday afternoon and the fact that Alphonse still isn't talking to him,"_ Blue commented in Lance's mind as she watched the scene in front of them with amusement. It truly was enviable how good Ed was at glaring at people effectively enough that they moved out of the way quickly while he had Ling acting as he was next to him. _"Hopefully this lunch helps him figure out how to work things out with those who he holds most dear and are still upset with him,"_ she added optimistically.

"I hope so too, beautiful," Lance said, speaking through their bond as he scratched Blue's ears and continued following the Xingese and Ed to the train station's café.

* * *

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric!" The soldier that had called out to Ed froze when he saw the flicker of annoyance in Ed's eyes but didn't flinch or otherwise react to it when Ed had sighed and gestured for him to get to the reason he'd stopped Ed and Voltron in the middle of a street. "Fuhrer Grumman has asked that you pay him a visit within the hour, if possible," the soldier informed him.

Ed sighed but nodded. "Okay. Thanks for passing along the message, Corporal," Ed said, dismissing the man out of his salute and turning to the group with him once the soldier started heading on to his next task. "Do you guys want to join me or do you want to see if we can find Al and you hang with him?" he asked.

The humans exchanged glances before Shiro answered Ed. "We don't mind going with you," he told the blonde, who looked thoroughly unsurprised by the answer.

"Okay, well, we'll head that way before we go to the training area," Ed said, now even more glad that they'd dropped by Gracia's home so he could leave the chest of Xingese money Ling had given him there rather than carrying it around all day. "Sorry we have to push our spar back a little for this but if Grumman sent someone to come find me rather than wait for me to be back on base, it's probably important," Ed told Keith, who nodded understandingly at it.

"Don't worry about it," Keith told him as they started following Ed towards Central Command. "I doubt leaving it for a couple more hours will ensure your win against me," he added with a smirk that had Ed's eyes sparking with a challenging glint.

"As if your knife-fighting skills are better than mine," Ed scoffed good-naturedly at him. "Need I remind you that I'm one of the best fighters in all of Amestris?" he asked, nudging Keith's shoulder in a friendly manner.

Keith returned the scoff with one of his own. "Considering how much you constantly complain about the intelligence and capabilities of the criminals you go up against, is that really something you can say with certainty?" Keith shot back.

"Damned straight I can," Ed said with a laugh. "Just because the criminals I fight are stupid, it doesn't mean they didn't know how to put up a good fight. I just think they're stupid for thinking they could win against _me_ ," Ed told him cockily.

"Okay, as nice as this banter is, save it for your spar," Shiro said, interrupting Keith before he could make any sort of retort, which resulted in Shiro being on the receiving end of a glare from the Red Paladin. "What do you think this meeting is about? You said it was likely to be important," Shiro asked Ed, pretending not to see the glare from Keith.

Ed shrugged as he turned his attention from Keith to Shiro. "Dunno," he said simply. "I can't think of anything that's happened recently that Grumman might wanna talk about. Unless he's found out about Baschool or it's got something to do with Lotor – which I really don't think is likely since he's dead and everyone who'd decided to join him has been caught and arrested – then there's nothing else I can think of that would require a meeting now," he told Shiro.

"Maybe it has something to do with Ling?" Pidge suggested. "Didn't he say that the trade agreements had gone through and both he and Fuhrer Grumman were starting to talk about sending diplomats from Amestris to Xing and vice versa?" she asked and though Ed nodded, they could tell he didn't think it would have anything to do with that.

"That's true but I don't know what it would have to do with me," Ed told her. "As friendly as Ling and I are, there's no way Grumman would send me to Xing as a diplomat," he said.

"Why not?" Hunk asked, looking a little confused. "Wouldn't the fact that you're friends with the emperor make you a prime candidate for a diplomatic position?"

Ed nodded but it was still obvious that he didn't think it was about the diplomatic position. "Grumman knows that I wouldn't be suitable for the position, despite the fact I'm friends with that idiot," Ed told them, scowling at thought of Ling, causing several Voltron members to laugh. "I'm not exactly the role model of diplomacy and from how Ling and Mei spoke about Ling's advisors, they and I would clash a lot. Plus, being a diplomat would mean I'd have to move to Xing and I have no intention of moving out of Central, let alone Amestris and Grumman knows that as well. I wouldn't mind missions to Xing or perhaps even Creta to learn alkahestry or their alchemy but I wouldn't go for more than a couple of months at a time," he explained as they continued walking.

"Ling didn't exactly hint at you being considered for the diplomatic position during lunch either," Lance said in support of Ed's argument and earned himself several nods. Ling had spoken in more detail about his and Grumman's meeting during their lunch but there hadn't been any hint as to who they were considering – if they were considering anyone at all at this point – for the diplomatic positions for either country, let alone hints it was Ed they were considering for Amestris. In fact, the only time Ling had mentioned anything about Ed visiting Xing was when he tried to weasel out an agreement from the alchemist that he would pay Ling's country a visit soon.

" _We'll find out soon enough,"_ Green pointed out to both Pidge and Ed, with the former repeating her words to the rest of them.

"Green's right," Shiro said, earning himself a smug purr from the Lion in question.

"That she is," Ed said in agreement before Shiro could say anything further. "Which means there's no point in trying to figure it out now and _that_ means we can get back to more important things. Like how I'm going to kick Keith's arse in our spar later," Ed said, grinning at both Shiro's groan and Keith's growled protest.

"Like hell you will," Keith immediately and predictably protested, Red growling in agreement with her pilot.

Ed's grin only grew wider at the verbal response and Shiro sighed once more as the two fell into a trade of good-natured barbs as they continued towards Central Command. Black made a comforting and empathetic noise as Shiro listened to the pair's retorts, unashamedly egged on by Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, before he decided to stay out of it, heartened by the fact that at least they didn't mean the things they were saying to each other.

* * *

"Hey, Miss Samantha," Ed greeted as he stepped to the side of the door, holding it open for Voltron to walk through.

"Hi, Ed," Samantha said with a warm smile. "Hello, everyone else. How's your day been going?" she asked as Ed closed the outer office door and led the way to her desk.

"Alright," Ed said with a shrugged shoulder. "Headed to the train station and saw off the Ishvalans, Winry, Granny and the Xingese," Ed told her, lips curling into a smirk. "Did you realise that you've earned the fear and respect of the Xingese because of how efficient you are?" Ed asked curiously.

Samantha looked pleasantly surprised at the news. "Well, I'm glad someone appreciates my work around here," Samantha said, obviously trying to downplay how chuffed she was by the news.

"We all appreciate you and your work, Miss Samantha," Ed told her honestly. "You're just as scary and efficient as Captain Hawkeye is and you don't even have a gun!" Ed exclaimed, causing Samantha to laugh and blush as Ed's comment.

" _Incoming,"_ Black warned only moments before another voice said, "he's correct, Samantha. Fuhrer Grumman is lucky to have someone as efficient as you as his secretary."

Ed turned to look at the person belonging to the familiar voice and, sure enough, Hawkeye had been the one speaking. To his lack of surprise, mild irritation, confusion and minute worry, Mustang walked through the door Hawkeye was opening for them. Unlike Ed, neither soldier looked surprised to see him or Voltron in the room. Ed flicked his eyes to Black, who looked a touch apologetic from the lack of warning but Ed decided against commenting on it. She had to have had a good reason to not warn Ed much earlier about their approach and he was willing to leave it for the moment and find out later.

Ignoring the pair for the moment – though he did give Hawkeye a smile when their eyes met before he managed to turn away completely – Ed focused back on Samantha, who had noticed the very obvious change in the air and seemed to be debating whether to comment on it. "Do you know why Grumman sent a soldier after me?" Ed asked, taking the decision on whether to ask out of Samantha's hands.

"He didn't give me many details but I understand it has something to do with Lotor and former Generals Widdon and Combes," Samantha told him, a hint of apology in her eyes and Ed knew that she'd realised he'd figured out she'd been thinking of questioning the tension.

"I take it that Mustang was asked to attend the same meeting?" Ed asked but it wasn't Samantha who answered him.

"The guards at the front entrance were ordered by Fuhrer Grumman to call my office when they spotted you heading onto base after the soldier Fuhrer Grumman had sent to find you had left so that Captain Hawkeye and I could make our way over to join you for this meeting," Mustang told him.

Ed nodded to show he'd heard his commanding officer but didn't look over at him. "Can we go in now or do we gotta wait?" Ed asked Samantha before Hawkeye or Mustang could say anything to anyone.

Samantha smiled at him as she reached for her phone. "I'll give him a quick call to make sure that he's not in the middle of paperwork but you should be fine to go in shortly," she assured him.

Ed gave her a nod and moved the couple of metres to where Voltron had been standing to give Samantha the privacy to make the phone call. He saw Mustang and Hawkeye join them and engage Shiro in a conversation but the blonde was pretty willing to ignore Mustang for the time being. Only at the threat of death – and, honestly, probably not even then – would Ed admit it was because he wasn't entirely sure what Mustang would say to him. Even though his commanding officer had told him the previous evening that he was proud of him for what he'd done in Baschool _and_ that he was even grateful that Ed had made that decision, Ed couldn't help but think that Mustang was either lying to him or not being entirely truthful. There was no way – in Ed's opinion – that Mustang, Pinako, Izumi, Hawkeye, _and_ Voltron all stood behind his decision 15 months ago without there being some sort of hidden trap and he was just trying to avoid that shoe dropping right now.

The soft clunk that indicated that Samantha had hung up her phone caught Ed's attention once more and he realised he'd zoned out momentarily. "Fuhrer Grumman has asked that you be shown into his conference room now. He's aware Voltron is here and decided it was the best choice considering the amount of people who'd need seats," Samantha explained when she caught sight of the slightly confused looks on some of their faces. She stood from her seat and made her way around her desk and towards the conference room doors as she continued. "He'll join you shortly. He just needs to finish signing a couple of things before he can."

Ed nodded as Samantha held the door open for them. "Thanks, Miss Samantha," Ed said, giving her a smile as he walked past her.

"It was no problem, Edward," Samantha told him as she watched the others walk in. "I'll see you in a few minutes," she told him, giving him an encouraging smile that Ed appreciated far more than he thought Samantha would know before she shut the door, leaving Ed alone with Mustang and Hawkeye with Voltron for back up.

Ed was quick to grab a seat between Shiro and Lance, ensuring that he wouldn't have to sit next to Mustang. The Lions seemed amused with his attempts at hiding how quick he had been to pick a seat but Ed elected to ignore them as the others sat down. Grumman's seat had been left empty, leaving his side of the table practically empty as everyone else chose seats at the ends of the table or on Ed's side. The Lions settled themselves at their pilot's feet, with Blue and Black sitting between their human and Ed, while Mustang and Hawkeye sat next to Hunk and at the end of the table opposite Keith, respectively.

As Shiro reengaged Mustang in the conversation they'd been having in Grumman's outer office, Ed decided he'd waited long enough to confront Black about the lack of warning she'd given him earlier about Mustang and Hawkeye's approach. "What gives on the minimal warning?" he asked the Lion through their bond.

" _You had to face them at some stage,"_ Black told him, her voice laced with apology but no regret. _"I figured it would've been a good idea for it to happen sooner rather than later,"_ she explained.

Ed managed not to scowl at her words but only just. "Yeah, I know it is but that doesn't mean I want it to happen sooner," Ed grumbled at her. "I'd honestly be fine if no one ever mentioned anything about what happened in Baschool again," he muttered and could feel the resulting look Black was giving him.

" _No you wouldn't,"_ Black said confidently. _"You'd rather it have never been revealed in the first place but since it has, you know you want to get these discussions over with and resolved as soon as possible. The only problem is that you're worried about the remaining conversations you need to have so you're unwilling to get started on those talks,"_ she said, hitting the nail in the head with every sentence she said.

"Have I ever mentioned how inconvenient it is sometimes that you five are tapped into my emotions and thoughts?" Ed asked rhetorically but Black decided to answer him anyway.

" _You may have mentioned it once or twice,"_ she said sweetly, earning herself a flick to the ear from the blonde alchemist.

Shiro quirked a brow at Ed's smirk and Black's annoyed growl but before he could ask, the doors opened once more to permit Grumman, though Samantha did linger for a moment to return Ed's half-wave before she disappeared once again. "I apologise that you had to wait but I had some paperwork that I needed to complete," Grumman said as he took his seat, nodding or smiling to everyone, dismissing the salutes from Mustang, Hawkeye and Edward as he did so. He looked as unsurprised to see Voltron as Mustang and Hawkeye had been.

"Mustang can't relate," Ed said, unable to let the opportunity to poke fun at Mustang's hatred of paperwork when it was so nicely presented to him.

Grumman's lips twitched upwards while Mustang glowered at Ed, who was smirking as he returned Lance's fist bump. "I'm sure you're all curious as to why I requested your presence, General Mustang, Captain Hawkeye, and Edward," Grumman said, letting Ed's comment slide. "There are three things I need to either inquire about or inform you of," he told them, causing everyone to sit up a little straighter. "I'm rather grateful that Voltron decided to join you, Edward, since one of the things I need to bring up pertains to them," Grumman said, causing Ed to glance at Voltron with confusion.

"What's going on?" Ed asked, refusing to allow the worry he felt to be seen in any way.

"The first thing is something I believe General Mustang will be able to clear up quickly enough," Grumman said, turning his gaze from Ed to Mustang. "What happened with Lotor's body?" he asked.

"Doctor Knox performed the autopsy on the war criminal, Lotor, before sending his body to be cremated. There had apparently been a mix up with the paperwork for Lotor and for another deceased's body that day. The error wasn't caught in time to prevent Lotor's remains being cremated, along with the uniform he was wearing at the time," Mustang told Grumman, face carefully blank.

Grumman nodded. "And the real story?" Grumman asked pointedly and Ed was certain he saw a tiny flicker of amusement break through Mustang's mask.

"I ensured Lotor received the same funeral rites as his parents," Mustang told Grumman.

The small handful of words weren't detailed but Grumman obviously deemed them good enough since he let the subject drop. "I trust that kind of mix up won't happen again," Grumman commented casually and Mustang gave a nod.

"I believe Doctor Knox made certain that the person behind the error was made aware of their unfortunate mix up," Mustang told him. "I believe the ashes were collected and Doctor Knox has agreed to leave the decision of their fate up to Voltron," he added, glancing at Shiro.

Shiro didn't look awfully happy about the revelation that he had to decide what to do with the ashes of his enemy but he knew there really was only one choice. "We will take the ashes back home with us and deal with them there," Shiro told them.

Grumman nodded at both Shiro and Mustang. "I'm sure General Mustang will inform Doctor Knox of you decision," Grumman said and Mustang gave a short nod to show he would. "The rest of this meeting has to do with that of former Generals Widdon and Combes," Grumman told them, lips curling further upwards at Ed's immediate groan.

"What have those two morons done now?" Ed asked, looking thoroughly unimpressed at the fact that Widdon and Combes were still causing trouble with him.

"Well, they have been rather vocal about the unfairness of their arrest, which I'm sure surprises absolutely no one at this table," Grumman said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "They noticed your weapons," Grumman said, nodding to Voltron, "and have tried claiming that the fact that no one was made aware of the fact you were armed was the reason they ultimately decided to join Lotor in his attack. In fact, they're claiming that their suspicion of your team and story and the coincidental run-in with Lotor a couple of days previous to the battle made them come up with a plan to pretend to join Lotor's side in order to take him and you all down, as they believed the eleven of you were here to do Amestris and her people harm. That's what they're claiming," Grumman explained.

Ed felt his jaw slacken with each word out of the Fuhrer's mouth and he was positive that the only reason Mustang and Hawkeye weren't mimicking him was because of how much experience they had with these sorts of situations. "I will give them points for creativity but somehow, they have once again managed to surprise me with just how stupid they actually are," Ed said, certainly sounding shocked at what Grumman had just told them.

"Yes, well, so far no one is buying what they're claiming," Grumman told them bluntly. "Their credibility took a big dive after the Belmont incident was resolved and they haven't managed to build it up enough for them to try pulling something like this with any sort of positive outcome for them," Grumman said. "However, they do have somewhat of a leg to stand on, at least when it comes to the fact that no one – aside from, I'm assuming, Edward and General Mustang – knew that the five of you were armed," Grumman explained, nodding to the humans of Voltron.

"Technically, only four of us are armed with our weapons – or bayards, as we call them," Shiro told him. "If I'm being honest, it didn't even occur to me to declare our weapons during our first meeting," Shiro admitted, noting the four other Paladins were nodding in agreement with his words. "I think it was an unconscious decision to keep our bayards a secret since they're so much more advanced than any sort of weapon you have in Amestris and we didn't have a story for them," he explained and Grumman gave an understanding nod.

"I can appreciate why it wouldn't have crossed your minds to declare them. I'm sure it's a rare occasion when you have to do so back in your home world," Grumman said and Shiro nodded, not even realising he was doing so until Grumman continued speaking, "and that even if you had, it would've been difficult to come up with a believable story as to why your weapons are so much more advanced than our own but this does put me in something of a bind that I'm hoping all of you will be able to help me out of," Grumman admitted. "With former Generals Widdon and Combes saying that they'd seen evidence of your weapons before they joined Lotor and realising that no one else seemed aware of them and no other generals – Mustang excluded – or even myself to truthfully contradict them by saying we knew of them beforehand, they may be able to create some reasonable doubt in their favour," Grumman said.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you and I to take the stand and say that we knew of them beforehand since you would then be asked why you didn't inform any other general with high-standing in the military of Voltron's weapons," Mustang said, leaning back in his seat slightly as he thought this through.

"That was my thinking as well," Grumman said with a nod. "As much as I trust most of the generals within the military, I don't believe I could ask any of them to lie for me and claim they knew of Voltron's weapons without having to reveal something we don't want to," he told them, making sure no one would suggest that idea.

"Lieutenant Clarke and Sergeant Valentine both saw me use my bayard when we confronted Lotor before he got to Central, if that helps?" Hunk said, a touch of nervousness in the bigger teen's voice.

Grumman gave him a grateful smile. "That could certainly aide us in proving that your team and Voltron weren't on the same side – as Widdon and Combes are claiming – but it doesn't help us with why the military didn't know about your weapons in the first place but thank you for trying to help," Grumman said kindly.

Hunk gave him a smile before he fell quiet once more and received a comforting pat on the shoulder from Lance. Ed watched the scene for a moment before a thought occurred to him. "No one aside from Clarke, Valentine, Al and Lotor saw you using your bayard, right?" he asked Hunk, who nodded. "If we ask Clarke and Valentine to keep it a secret that Hunk used his bayard, could Voltron claim they didn't even know if their weapons would work in our country?" Ed suggested. "They could claim that the lack of technological advances in Amestris made them think that the energy source they use in their "country" wasn't available here so they decided against declaring their weapons since they believed them to be useless," Ed explained. "We could say that they only discovered their weapons worked here when they reflexively used them during the confrontation or that they realised they worked when they saw Lotor's weapon worked," he added.

"That could work but I believe you mentioned that both Hunk and Pidge witnessed Lotor using his weapons against you, Green, Yellow, and Den in Resembool," Grumman pointed out.

Ed scowled for a moment before brightening suddenly. "No, they only arrived just before Lotor activated that stun grenade. They didn't see him use his rifle," Ed said. "We can claim that the stun grenade could've run off a different energy source to their other weapons."

Grumman didn't look convinced that the cover story would hold as much water as they would need it to. "You and General Mustang both mentioned the rifle in your report to us," Grumman reminded him. "Even if neither of you had said anything of the rifle to Voltron while you were still in Resembool and during the drive to Central, they would've heard you mention it in that report and know that their weapons would work here, if we went with that story," Grumman pointed out.

Ed slumped in his seat at the logic of Grumman's words. Mustang, however, seemed to have come up with an idea. "What if we claim that Voltron initially thought their weapons wouldn't work over here until they heard Fullmetal talk about Lotor's rifle however, they didn't declare them because – as you suggested earlier, Fuhrer Grumman – the thought never crossed their mind as they had no intention of using their weapons in Amestris?" Mustang suggested.

Grumman mulled over the proposed story for a few moments before he nodded, though it was obvious he wasn't completely satisfied with the cover story. "It could work," Grumman said. "We could also say that the shock of literally being in their country one moment then a completely foreign and previously unheard-of country the next played a role in their forgetfulness," he suggested. It was obvious that Grumman was worried about keeping the fact that inter-dimensional travel hidden from the entirety of Amestris, minus the handful of citizens who already knew of it, and that this small obstacle could undo all of that hard work.

"What if we also say that Voltron wasn't sure they could trust us if they revealed that they were in possession of four highly advanced weapons, ones completely beyond the imagination of any Amestrian scientist or inventor?" Ed proposed. "After all, according to their cover story, they didn't know any of us before that night in the Ishvalan desert. If I were them and I didn't see any evidence of the foreigners belonging to the country I'd just wound up in knowing alchemy, I wouldn't reveal that I knew it until I absolutely had to, if at all," Ed said. "And if someone asks why they didn't tell us later on, we can just ask them how well they would know someone after only a handful of days and whether they would trust that person with something like their bayards," he added.

"That could definitely bolster the cover story," Grumman said, a twinkle of relief in his eyes. "No one could say that Voltron should've felt like they could trust any of us so completely that they would reveal what would've ultimately been their checkmate if we turned on them," he rationalised, getting nods of agreement from everyone at the table. "Now the only other thing we have to deal with is the investigation regarding former Generals Widdon and Combes," Grumman said with a small sigh. "Obviously with their arrest and the charges they're facing, if found guilty of their crimes, it would be very unlikely that they'll see freedom again which would mean that an investigation into their past wouldn't necessarily have to happen. However," Grumman said before anyone could say anything, "I did promise you that you and your team could be involved in the investigation into their past and that invitation is still there, if you wish to," Grumman said.

Mustang didn't even need to look at Ed to know exactly what answer the blonde was hoping for and he didn't need to look at Hawkeye to know that she would be on board with whichever decision he made. "Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes has already extended an invitation to Fullmetal to assist him with investigating Widdon and Combes and since I believe it would be a good idea for the public to see us thoroughly investigate any disgraced soldier to ensure that they would face the consequences of every illegal decision they made, especially if those soldiers were high-ranking generals, I will accept your invitation for me and my teams to assist with the investigation into former Generals Widdon and Combes," Mustang said. He wasn't sure how he managed it but he did manage to keep the grin that threatened to break through his impassive expression when he saw the malicious excitement in Ed's eyes at his response from showing.

Grumman's eyes twinkled – a sure sign he'd also noticed Ed's expression – as he nodded, completely unsurprised at Mustang's answer. "Very well," Grumman said. "You may offer your assistance to Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes and start that investigation whenever you and he see fit. There is no time limit on this mission but I expect reports to land on my desk at least once a week, even if nothing of significance has been found since the last report and I trust that you'll inform Lieutenant-Colonel Brookes of this," Grumman instructed and Mustang, Hawkeye and Ed all nodded in tandem.

"Are you gonna push for their trial to be started ASAP?" Ed asked curiously, wondering if the time frame Grumman would give them if the Fuhrer did decide to do just that would be enough time for them to do a thorough investigation into the disgraced generals so that the pair could be dealt with during one trial rather than multiple ones.

Grumman thought about for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I don't believe there's any reason for me to do so," Grumman told him and Ed grinned. That meant they would have at least six months, maybe even a year, to gather all the evidence they could against Widdon and Combes and make sure they really wouldn't see a day out of their cells again. Brookes would be very happy to hear that.

"I'm sure we'll be able to start that investigation shortly, Fuhrer Grumman," Mustang said and Grumman nodded at his words.

"I trust you'll let me know when you do," Grumman said and, once again, the three soldiers in the room nodded to show they would. "Excellent," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "Unless there are any questions or enquiries of your own, I'll let you get back to whatever you had been doing before this impromptu meeting," Grumman said.

"I got nothing," Ed said immediately. Now that the mystery behind why he'd been summoned to Grumman's office and the resulting meeting was over, his primary focus was now on the spar he and Keith had been planning to have when that corporal had found the group. From the look he got from Keith, the Red Paladin was thinking the exact same thing as him.

"If it's alright with Doctor Knox and Ed, we'll pick up Lotor's remains in the morning," Shiro said.

Ed simply gave him a nod – knowing the reason Shiro had included him was because he'd have to lead them to the morgue since they didn't know where it was – but Mustang spoke. "I'll inform Doctor Knox this afternoon. I'll let you know if he wants it done by a specific time," Mustang told him.

"Thank you," Shiro said before falling silent, letting Grumman and the others know he had nothing further to say.

"I don't think there's anything we need to discuss either," Mustang said, glancing briefly at Hawkeye, who'd obviously shaken her head to indicate she didn't need to say anything.

"Very well," Grumman said as he stood from his chair, causing the others to mimic him. "Thank you once more for attending this meeting so quickly. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day," he said as they stepped around their chairs and pushed them back into the table, returning the room to the state it had been in when they'd entered.

"You as well, Grumman," Ed said as he joined Mustang and Hawkeye in saluting the Fuhrer once more.

Grumman waved them out of the salutes as he led the way to the doors. "Thank you, Edward," Grumman said, giving Ed a rare, warm smile as they left the room, Shiro having beaten them to the door to hold it open for them. "Thank you, Shiro," Grumman then said, nodding to the Black Paladin, who nodded back as he waited for everyone to make their way back into the outer office where Samantha sat behind her desk. "I imagine I'll see most of you at some stage within the next few days," Grumman said as he came to a stop at Samantha's desk and accepted the small handful of message cards she handed him.

"You'll probably be proven right," Ed said with a nod that had most the others making some sign of agreement.

"I'm sure I will be as well," Grumman chuckled. "Have a good day," he bade them once more before he disappeared back into his office once everyone had wished him one back.

"See ya, Miss Samantha," Ed said as the group made their way towards the outer office doors, Ed bringing up the rear.

"Have a good day, Ed," Samantha said, giving the blonde a friendly smile before he closed the door behind himself.

Once the door was firmly closed, Ed joined back up with the others and ended up joining Mustang and Hawkeye in part of their trek away from Grumman's office. At first, they did so in silence, with Voltron trailing behind them but then Hawkeye elected to break it. "What are your plans now, Lieutenant-Colonel?" she asked, using his title as she always did when they were outside Mustang's office but on base.

"Keith and I are gonna throw knives at each other," Ed told her casually.

It was testament to how used to Ed's antics they were when neither Mustang nor Hawkeye reacted to that statement with anything more than a, "where do you plan on doing that?" from Hawkeye.

"The training grounds on base, assuming no one else is using them right now," Ed told her.

Hawkeye and Mustang both nodded as they approached the corridor Ed and Voltron would need to turn down to get to the training grounds as quickly as they could. "Try not to injure each other too badly. I'm sure Havoc and Lance don't want to be spending their time patching people up this afternoon," Mustang drawled as he and Hawkeye took a few more steps down the corridor they needed while Ed led Voltron down the one they had to turn into.

"You're hilarious, Mustang. A real riot," Ed said flatly.

"I'll make sure neither of them hurts the other or anyone else nearby," Shiro promised, earning himself a matching glare from the two in question.

"We'd appreciate that," Hawkeye said honestly, nodding her thanks.

"We'll call Gracia's once we have an answer from Doctor Knox, if we don't see you beforehand," Mustang said, changing the subject slightly in a subtle way of reminding Shiro what he'd promised Grumman only minutes earlier.

"That would be great," Shiro said gratefully.

"What he means is Miss Riza will call Miss Gracia and let someone know what Knox says because Mustang will either forget or be too busy with paperwork to do it himself," Ed stage-whispered to those near him.

"Brat," Mustang growled, glaring at Ed.

"Bastard," Ed responded cheerily, acting as though he hadn't said anything wrong.

" _Boys,"_ Hawkeye said warningly, hand flitting towards her holstered weapon while the Lions cackled at Ed and Mustang's reactions.

Deciding it was probably a good idea to end this conversation here, while it was still on a friendly note, Shiro spoke up. "We should get going before someone else snags the training grounds. I don't think I want to put up with either of you if that happens," he said teasingly to both Keith and Ed.

"That is probably a fair call but I would like to point out that I would simply find a second training ground for us," Ed told him. Shiro gave him a one-shouldered, innocent shrug that had Ed's eyes narrowing slightly before he turned back to Mustang and Hawkeye. "We'll see you around," he told them, unknowingly thinking along the same lines Shiro had been.

"Enjoy yourselves," Hawkeye said, though her silent warning to stay safe or suffer her wrath was clear in her eyes.

"Try not to destroy the training area again, Fullmetal," Mustang said, sounding like he was resigning himself to the fact that Ed would do exactly that.

"You're not my opponent this time. I have no reason to," Ed said flippantly as he started walking away from the pair, throwing a wave over his shoulder that had Mustang shaking his head before he and Hawkeye continued to the office.

"You went up against Mustang?" Lance asked the moment he was certain the raven-haired alchemist was gone.

Ed nodded. "Yeah, for one of my yearly recertifications to prove I was still worthy of being a State Alchemist. As a field and research alchemist, I had to either prove I was still capable of kicking arse or had made significant advances in my research. One year, Mustang and I were pitted against each other for our recertifications," Ed told him, not noticing the looks he was getting from the four youngest Paladins until one of the Lions clued him in. "What?" he asked, looking confused.

"Details. Now," Pidge ordered, seemingly stealing the words right out of the others' mouths.

Ed didn't stop his chuckle as he led them down the next corridor. "So, I'm in the training grounds…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a break from the angst for Ed, which the poor kid probably deserves XD Many thanks to those of you who have left comments on this story. I'd really love to hear from you guys about what you thought to this chapter :) see you all next week!


	34. Chapter 34

"Looks like we've got the whole training area to ourselves," Ed said as he and Voltron came to a stop in the middle of the large patch of dirt that was used as the training grounds for new soldiers or drills. It wasn't rare that no one else was using the area whenever Ed ventured down there but it was certainly uncommon enough that Ed was mildly surprised to find it empty that day. "What do you lot plan on doing while Keith and I spar?" Ed asked once he'd given everyone a few moments to take in their surroundings.

"I'm going to be making sure neither of you accidentally kill each other," Shiro immediately said, getting an eyeroll from both Ed and Keith. "I don't mind what the eight of you do," he said, gesturing to the three remaining Paladins and the five Lions, "but stay on the grounds, please," he asked.

Lance glanced over at both Hunk and Pidge before he nodded at Shiro. "We'll probably get some hand-to-hand training in with each other," Lance said, Pidge and Hunk nodding behind him. "If those two aren't done by the time we are, we'll chill somewhere covered until they are," he said.

Shiro gave a nod. "Okay. Don't hurt yourselves either," he instructed.

"You got it, bossman," Lance said before he looked at Ed. "Kick his arse," he ordered, getting a grin from Ed and a scowl from Keith when he did so.

"You got it," Ed said with a smirk that only grew when Keith's scowl was then aimed at him.

"Go," Shiro ordered before Keith or Lance could say anything to the other. Lance looked mildly disappointed that their banter was stopped before it could even begin but he did as he was told and those who weren't part of the bladed spar moved several feet away. The only exceptions were Red and Black, who elected to stay near their humans. "Where are you going?" Shiro asked when he noticed that Ed was moving away from them.

"I need more than my automail blade," Ed told him. "It's not as versatile as a dagger or sword so I'm going to create some so we're on a more even playing field," he said before he knelt to the ground and transmuted it. Once the flash of blue alchemic light cleared, Ed was left kneeling in front of a small crater but had three throwing knives and a blade of a similar size to Keith's Mamora blade. "Do you want me to make you any extra weapons?" Ed asked as he gathered his new weapons and tucked the throwing knives in between his back and belt.

"No, I'm good with what I've got," Keith told him, producing both his bayard and his Mamora blade.

Ed nodded and moved back over to where he'd originally been standing, shrugging off both his jackets as he did so and removing his white gloves, leaving him in only his tank top, pants and boots. A crackle of blue energy later, he had his automail blade ready for action. The larger knife he'd made was gripped in his left hand. "Any ground rules you wanna implement, Shiro?" he asked as he and Keith faced off against the other. Ed could see a few blue figures in his peripheral vision but quickly dismissed the watching soldiers as Keith formed his red sword.

"Don't kill each other," Shiro said immediately. "Try not to give the other an injury worse than a minor cut, if possible," he continued. "Try not to hurt any bystanders and I think it would be best if alchemy wasn't used unless it was absolutely needed, in the interest of fairness," Shiro added, looking at Ed.

"No alchemy unless it's to stop someone from getting hurt. Got it," Ed said, getting a nod from Shiro. "Anything else?" he asked as he took up his fighting stance. Keith was quick to shift into his own as they squared off.

"No help from any of the Lions," Shiro said, giving the two next to him a pointed look that had both of them look displeased, "and the first one to make the other yield is the victor," Shiro said and got two nods. He almost regretted not making the rule that the victor was whoever landed the first hit when he saw the glints of challenge in their eyes. "That's all," Shiro told them. "You can start whenever you're ready," he said, nodding to both of them.

"Wanna have Red call it?" Keith asked and Ed gave a nod.

" _On my count,"_ Red said a moment later. _"3, 2, 1!"_ she called, tail twitching with excitement as the pair launched at each other when she finished her countdown.

Keith was the first to strike, immediately putting himself on the offensive and forcing Ed to defend himself, which the blonde did with his automail blade. Ed didn't bother pushing Keith off himself but rather struck out with his newly formed dagger but Keith had obviously anticipated that since his Mamora blade was right there, stopping Ed's dagger. Red and Black watched avidly as the pair separated again while Shiro watched with a small amount of worry and fear that increased minutely each time the pair met and faded slightly with each successful defence.

Ed had known, of course, that Keith was an excellent swordsman. He'd seen him battle the gladiators on the Castle-Ship and had sparred with him a couple of times during their training sessions before the battle with Zarkon and Haggar but they'd either been brief or part of a group training session. They hadn't been given the chance to go basically full-out on the other with no time limit or interruptions and he was relishing in the chance to do so. Aside from Izumi, Ed rarely got the chance to use bladed weapons outside of a mission. Al – while proficient in weapon fighting – preferred to spar without weapons unless it was against Izumi and Ed didn't spar against anyone else often enough to consider adding weapons into the mix.

Keith was of a similar mindset as he blocked another swipe from Ed and tried to land one of his own, only to find himself stumbling backwards a little when Ed not only blocked his blow but shoved at his shoulder with the back of his left hand to throw off his balance. As Keith was forced to defend himself against the attack Ed immediately followed his hit with, he could feel himself enjoying this spar more and more. Though Lance and Shiro were his main sparring partners, neither of them used swords. When Lance sparred with him, it was with a staff or bare hands. With Shiro, it was with his Galran arm or – like Lance – hand-to-hand combat. Allura could wield a sword and had offered to join him for a sparring session so she could teach him some Altean sword fighting but something had always happened to prevent those sessions from going ahead.

A small hiss of pain and surprise got Keith's attention and he was mildly astonished and pleased to find he'd managed to draw first blood. A minor cut on Ed's left shoulder dribbled blood but Ed didn't look phased by it. If anything, the small cut seemed to add fuel to the fire Keith could see in the blonde's eyes and he soon found himself having to work a bit harder to prevent Ed from being the victor. Ed pushed Keith back, using his automail blade as his main defence from any of Keith's retaliatory strikes. Keith took the opportunity to force Ed into an awkward block while striking with his Mamora blade at the blonde's unguarded side but he was surprised when Ed simply dropped backwards into a flip and got back to his feet smoothly.

That move put a decent amount of distance between the pair and Ed took the opportunity to utilise at least one of his throwing knives. Tossing his larger dagger and catching it with his right hand, Ed's left snaked behind his back and grabbed the handle of one of his throwing knives. Keith was anticipating the move and tried to close the distance so Ed would not only not have the room to use the throwing knife but might also not have the time to protect himself, what with his right hand clutching the handle of his dagger and his automail blade drawn as well. However, Ed moved quickly to the side and launched the throwing knife at Keith, who was forced to stop and deflect the knife, giving Ed the chance to close the distance himself and strike out at Keith before he could defend himself properly and earning himself second drawn blood as blood seeped out of the minor nick Ed inflicted on Keith's cheek.

Keith didn't even pause to wipe the blood away as it trickled down his cheek as he focused on keeping Ed from landing another hit. The metallic clangs of their blades clashing rang out across the training grounds and drew the attention of passing by soldiers but neither boy paid them any attention. Ed managed to push Keith back enough that he drop his bladed weapon in the same moment he crouched, picking up his throwing knife and launching it once more before scooping up his discarded weapon and continuing his attack, counting on the seconds it took Keith to dodge or deflect the knife to help him keep the spar tipped in his favour.

Keith didn't bother wasting time deflecting the knife again, he simply moved out of its path and met Ed in the middle once more, blocking the slash Ed made with his automail blade. The two pushed off from one another and Ed risked a glance to locate his missing throwing knife. The sun helpfully glinted off of it and Ed immediately wrote off the idea of trying the same trick of pushing Keith towards it again. It was far enough away that Keith would realise what he was trying – especially since Ed had already done so – and would prevent him from following that plan through. He had two other throwing knives tucked away against his back so it wasn't like he truly needed to get that one knife back.

Though it only took Ed a moment to locate his knife and come to the conclusion he had, Keith had noticed his attention had moved from him and used that split second to try and get the spar back in his favour. Mimicking Ed's earlier move, Keith threw his Mamora blade as though it was a throwing knife. However, unlike Ed's, Keith's dagger had the ability to change sizes and Keith fully intended to take advantage of that ability. Fully expecting Ed to realise he'd changed the blade's size just before he let go of the handle, Keith quickly realised that – to his horror – Ed hadn't remembered about the knife's ability until too late. Unable to deflect it completely, Ed wound up with another wound to his upper left arm but this time, much deeper.

"Ed!" both Keith and Shiro gasped out as Ed dropped his dagger and instinctively placed his automail arm over the wound.

"I'm alright," Ed told them immediately, even as he winced against the stinging pain from the fresh injury. The sudden stop to his spar and the obvious worry from Black and Red attracted the attention of the six members of Voltron who hadn't been right there with them and Ed just knew Lance would be at his side and fussing over him in seconds. "Seriously," he said, removing his hand now and wincing when he realised he was going to have to wash the blood out of the fingers before Winry got wind of what happened and killed him for risking the joints, "it's not that bad," he told them as he actually looked at the injury for the first time.

"Dude, I thought Shiro said you couldn't kill or seriously injure each other!" Lance exclaimed, proving Ed right about how quick it took Voltron's medic to get to the side of an injured person. The Blue Paladin was already digging through his small pack for his medical supplies.

"I'm sorry, Ed," Keith said as his eyes stayed fixated on the injury, guilt shining in them.

"You don't have to apologise, Keith," Ed told him honestly. "I'm the one who forgot you could transform both your weapons and I'm the one who didn't realise until too late that you would try that move against me," Ed said. "I should've known you would try that and prepared myself for it but I completely forgot that you could do that," he said firmly.

"I should've warned you or something though," Keith pressed, unwilling to let Ed take the blame for what had happened. "I knew you'd gotten distracted. I should've waited until you weren't."

Ed shook his head as he held his arm out to Lance when the Cuban had wordlessly gestured for it. "Why?" Ed asked. "If this was a real fight and I was your enemy, you wouldn't have waited for my attention to be back on you and you sure as shit wouldn't have warned me," Ed pointed out. "It's my responsibility to keep my attention on my opponent and it's on me for forgetting about something like your blade being able to change from a dagger to sword," he said firmly. "I shouldn't have even bothered looking for that dagger. It was a stupid thing to do considering I have more on me. If anything, I should have waited until I'd used them all before I tried to figure out how to get them back rather than worry about that one," Ed commented casually.

"Damned right you should have. I know I taught you better than that," Izumi said, startling just about everyone as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere with Sig and Al by her side. Her eyes flashed angrily at her eldest ex-student as she took in the injury Lance was currently cleaning. "You could've lost the one good arm you've got because you were stupid enough to let yourself get distracted. How many times do I have to beat it into the two of you to not worry about your surroundings in the middle of a fight? You should've known where that blade landed when Keith dodged it. _You're_ the one who threw it and you knew exactly how much energy you used to do so," Izumi lectured. "If you can't anticipate where your weapon is going to land by now then you need to undergo a lot more training," she informed him before she turned her eyes onto Keith. "Good job taken advantage of his distraction. That's the kind of thing that will keep you alive longer," she praised him. "Though your form needs more work, as well as your aim and ruthlessness. The blade should've been aimed for a fatal blow, not for what would have ultimately amounted to an irritating injury for your enemy," she told him.

Keith looked fairly stunned that Izumi had commented on his part of the spar and furthermore that it hadn't been a lecture of his own about injuring his sparring partner. Ed looked amused at his shock but ultimately didn't comment on it. "It won't happen again, Teacher," Ed promised her.

"It better not or you'll have me to answer to, injured or not," Izumi told him. Apparently done with Ed now, Izumi's attention turned to Lance, who was still mopping up the blood leaking out of Ed's injury. Hunk was hovering close by and if Ed wasn't mistaken, he was holding the numbing gel that Lance would apply to the wound next so that the injury wouldn't bother Ed while Lance continued working on it. "What are you doing? It obviously needs stitches. Just wrap it up so the idiot doesn't bleed to death before someone can patch him up," Izumi instructed, eyeing the unknown medicine warily.

Lance's metaphorical hackles went up until he noticed Izumi's wariness and realised that she'd never seen their medicine before and therefore had no idea what it could do. Her worry for Ed's safety meant that she was reacting out of a place of suspicion and Lance knew that reacting with anger would not end well for him. "It's medicine from where we're from," he explained to her, not pausing in his movements. The cloth he was using to clean up the wound had medicine that helped with disinfecting an injury and encouraging an open wound to start clotting quicker, both things Ed needed right now. "Once the cut has stopped bleeding so much, I'm gonna use the stuff Hunk is holding to numb the wound. Then there's some pink goop that speeds up healing that I'll apply to the injury then Ed gets to stay still while I stitch the wound up before I bandage it," Lance said. He huffed when Ed immediately groaned at the news of getting stitches and lightly flicked Ed's ear. "Shoulda dodged the blade better," he chided teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed grumbled, glaring Lance for the flick. Turning his attention back to the newcomers, Ed was slightly taken aback with how worried Alphonse looked. "He's gonna numb the cut soon and it doesn't even hurt now," Ed said, trying to reassure his brother, assuming that was the reason for Al's worry. Al gave him a nod and did relax slightly but didn't respond verbally so Ed moved on. "How come you guys are here anyway? I thought you would've been busy purchasing the things you need to take back to Dublith with you," Ed asked, eyes flicking between Sig and Izumi.

"We heard rumours that the Fullmetal Alchemist and a foreigner were fighting on Central Command's training grounds," Sig rumbled. "We asked Alphonse to escort us here so that Izumi could watch," he explained.

Ed almost rolled his eyes at the fact that barely fifteen minutes had passed since he and Voltron had arrived on the training ground and the military had already managed to spread that gossip to the public. "Oh, okay," Ed said simply, flinching slightly when Lance had to force the cloth he was using further into the wound to ensure it was disinfected properly and that every part of it had the clotting agent applied to it.

"Sorry," Lance said instantly but Ed shook his head, telling him it wasn't necessary. One final, careful swipe had Lance dropping the cloth and holding his hand out for the numbing gel. "Let's get this numb so we can start stitching," he said, voice purposefully cheerful.

"Yay," Ed said, voice flat and unenthused, earning himself several chuckles or huffs. He was happy to see that Keith didn't look like he was blaming himself anymore but Ed still made a mental note to make sure he really wasn't.

"Sig and I have booked our train home for tomorrow morning so you and your brother will be facing me in a spar this afternoon," Izumi informed Ed, bringing his attention back to her.

Ed noted that his teacher was still glancing at Lance with distrust that was well-hidden from everyone bar those who knew her well enough but he merely nodded at what she'd said. "I wasn't sure whether it would happen today or tomorrow morning," Ed said as Lance expertly applied the numbing gel then healing goop to Ed's arm. "Have you guys had lunch yet and, if not, do you want to do that first or get straight into the spar?" he asked both Izumi and Al.

Shiro made a protesting noise before either of them could answer Ed. "You shouldn't be fighting anyone with that injury!" he told him.

Ed shrugged his automail shoulder. "The numbing gel will make sure it doesn't actually hurt me and the stitches will keep it together much better than our stitches would. Really, all I need to do before the spar is wash my automail hand clean of blood before it dries and ruins the joints," Ed told him nonchalantly.

The comparison of the stitching material caught Izumi's interest and she spoke before Shiro could argue with Ed. "What do you mean about their stitches holding better than ours?" she asked.

"Whatever material theirs is made out of is as sturdy as ours but are more elastic as well. I can tell you from experience that it's much harder to pop one of their stitches than it is with ours," Ed told her. "Plus, the stitches change colours to let me know whether the wound is healing well or if it's gotten infected even before the wound starts turning red or inflamed," he added.

Sig was the only one who allowed his amusement at Izumi's intrigue to actually show. "How?" she asked demandingly, startling Lance enough that Ed was grateful the numbing gel had kicked it by now. "I want to know every medical advancement your world has made in detail compared to our medicine," Izumi informed him, tone telling Lance he really had no choice in the matter.

Lance glanced at Shiro, who nodded, before he looked back Izumi. "Okay," he agreed, wiping his fingers clear of the medicines he'd finished applying to Ed's injury before he accepted the stitching gear Hunk handed him. "So, we'll start with the cloth I was using when you guys appeared," Lance said as he readied the needle and thick thread he'd be using. At Izumi's nod and with Ed's permission, Lance started talking as he stitched the injury closed.

* * *

The only people who weren't surprised that Izumi's interrogation of Lance regarding the medical side of their world lasted almost an hour _after_ Ed had come back from washing the blood out his automail were Al, Sig, and Ed himself. The Lions were both amused and astonished at just how many questions Izumi had about medicine alone. After Ed had come back from the closest bathroom with clean automail and saw that Izumi was still speaking to Lance, he'd diverted from the group slightly and picked up the dagger that had been part of the reason for the injury he'd gained. Placing it with the others, Ed then grabbed the larger dagger he'd dropped and sheathed it in between his two belts so it was secure but out of his hands before he'd joined back up with the others and listened to Lance's responses to Izumi's questions.

After asking her final question, Izumi dipped her head gratefully towards Lance. "Thank you for answering my questions," she said politely.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you more detailed answers. I still don't know everything about each type of medicine on the Castle-Ship," Lance chuckled slightly.

"I appreciate what you could tell me, nonetheless," Izumi said, dismissing his apology without verbally doing so before she turned to where Ed and Al were seated near each other. "Are you two ready for our spar?" she asked, even though she expected nothing other than an affirmative response from the both.

"Yeah, I'm good to go," Ed told her, getting to his feet immediately.

"As am I," Al said, mimicking his brother's actions.

"Are you sure?" Shiro couldn't help but ask Ed as he and the rest of Voltron got to their own feet, the Lions shaking any dirt that may have gotten on their coats off.

"Absolutely," said Ed, pulling his left arm across his chest in a stretch to prove to Shiro that there really wasn't anything for the Black Paladin to worry about.

When Shiro noticed that Ed didn't even twitch as he stretched his arm in a way that should've hurt him if the numbing gel hadn't been strong enough to take care of all the pain, he gave a small nod, showing that he wasn't going to argue any further. With that nod, Ed and Al moved towards where Ed and Keith had first stood before Red had called for their spar to start while Izumi moved around them and stood a few metres away from them, her back to the rest of the training ground while she faced them. She eyed the dagger in Ed's hand before she jerked her chin at Al. "Your call," she told him. "Weapons included or no?"

Al consider for a moment before he nodded. "Weapons," he said and Izumi gave a nod.

"Ten seconds," she told him, not elaborating on what she meant but Al didn't need her to.

Both Al and Izumi clapped and knelt at the same time. Blue alchemic energy sparked from their hands as they separated them and placed them on the ground. A few moments later, Al stood, twirling a staff a couple of inches shorter than him while Izumi stood, twin staffs in hand. Ed didn't bother producing his automail blade but he did switch his dagger from his right hand to his left once he'd pulled it out from between his belts, determined to use his right arm as a defensive measure. He still had all three of his throwing knives at the small of his back and, though his teacher knew about one, he was reasonably confident that she didn't know the exact number he had and that could be used to his advantage, if he was smart about it.

The ten second time limit Izumi had imposed passed and, as always, Izumi moved first. Not bothering with her staffs, Izumi clapped and sent a wave of earth for the two boys. Instinctively, both of them darted closer to the other and moved backward. Al raised his staff up in time to catch the blows from one of Izumi's as their teacher leapt from the top of the now-still wave. Izumi barely paused at the block of her attack and swung out with her second staff, aiming to catch Ed in the ribs. Twisting his injured arm, Ed deflected the blow and the boys pushed Izumi backwards a couple of steps, creating space between them.

"I see Lance and you were telling the truth about that medicine," Izumi said, nodding minutely at the stark white bandage wrapped around Ed's bicep. "It'd be handy having some of that in Amestris," she commented as she clapped and placed her hands against the earth wall behind her, her staffs tucked under her armpits as she launched small but lethal earthen rocks at the pair.

"Unfortunately, we probably don't have the equivalent to the ingredients in those medicines," Ed said, slapping his palm against the ground and catching the projectiles in an earthen wall on his own.

He didn't stop the wall once it had caught his teacher's attack, instead sending it to the wall Izumi had created it. Using his control over the earth, Ed absorbed that wall as well before letting the earth sink back to the ground, revealing Izumi as she launched an earthen spear right for Ed. Al was quick to step in front of his prone brother and deflect the weapon before Ed could react. Nodding in thanks to his little brother, Ed produced and threw one of his three throwing knives at Izumi, using his automail arm to do so. Izumi deflected the knife as she charged them and Al caught one of her staffs again. Before the second staff could connect with Al's left knee, Ed stopped it by placing his automail arm in the way.

Using his crouched position, Ed kept his automail palm flat on the ground and swung his legs at Izumi's, aiming to get her in the shins or cause her to back off Al to avoid the blow. She didn't let his attack connect, allowing Al the chance to back away from her staff while Ed smoothly shifted to his feet. Almost immediately, Ed was forced to use his dagger to block another blow from the staff but Al clapped behind him and Ed pushed Izumi's arm away from him. Izumi didn't seem phased by the blue sparks from Al and dodged the earth hands her younger ex-student had created to grab her ankles by balancing on her twin staffs and flipping away from the hands.

Izumi lost her weapons in doing so – Al having been quick enough to adjust the hands to grab the base of the staffs and force Izumi to let go of them or risk hurting herself – but that didn't mean she was going to yield to her ex-students. Since Ed had the weapons that would do the most damage, Izumi went after him first, working quickly to get him to drop the dagger he held in his left hand. Ed didn't make it easy for her and Al was quick to move to help his brother fight their teacher off him. None of them spoke and none of them seemed to notice the varying degrees of awe on the Paladins faces as they watched this spar. Sig and the Lions were watching the battle with pride and – in Sig's case – adoration in their eyes.

An unexpected sharp jab to Al's ribs hurt and shocked the youngest Elric enough that Izumi was able to wrench his staff from his hands, leaving him without a weapon. There was a minute huff of surprise and annoyance from Ed as he threw Al his dagger, which Al caught by the handle expertly in time to block a swipe from his stolen staff. Now empty handed, Ed was quick to move to alchemy to try and help Al defeat their teacher. Dazzling blue energy preceded the appearance of earthen hands that Ed directed to push Izumi away from Al, who was quick to dart to his brother's side. Another flash of blue energy appeared and raced across the dirt to Izumi's feet. The only sign of Izumi's surprise when she sunk a few inches into the earth were her slightly wider eyes.

Ed and Al shared a grin as they moved to charge Izumi but those smirks faded when their teacher clapped and sent a concussive wave of air towards them – an array she'd developed upon hearing about Moore's attacks against Ed in the NCIS parking lot – and the brothers flew backwards, slamming harshly into the ground. Ed groaned but quickly got to his feet and – just in time – threw another knife at Izumi, forcing her to dodge and abandon her attack against Al. She'd obviously used the time it took for them to hit the ground then recover to release herself from Ed's transmutation but Ed's quick thinking had given his brother the time he needed to get up, even if it did cost him his second last on hand weapon. Ed felt the flare of pain that accompanied a bruised rib or three but elected to ignore it in favour of raising his right arm to block the blow from Al's stolen staff Izumi tried to hit him with.

Al had landed next to Izumi's trapped weapons and used the chance Ed had unwittingly gave him to release the twin staffs from the earth's hold. Once he had them, he was quick to clap and create a spike that appeared in between his brother and teacher, forcing them to separate. While both of them did, Al skidded Ed's dagger across the ground towards his brother while he scooped up his newly acquired twin staffs. Ed dived for his dagger before Izumi could react, reaching for it as he tumbled forward before he smoothly got to his feet, left hand now gripping his dagger once more. Izumi's eyes flashed briefly with annoyance but she didn't let it show for long as she struck for Ed's bruised ribs, obviously having noticed them and decided to take advantage of a possible weakness.

Ed dodged backwards, moving just out of striking range while Al used the fact that Izumi's staff was now pointed away from him to get in close with his pilfered staffs and start forcing her to go on the defence. Al's shorter staffs were definitely aiding Al more than hindering him right now while Izumi's full-length staff seemed to be doing the opposite for her. Ed watched for a moment, waiting for an opening but found himself internally swearing when Izumi managed to clap while blocking a swipe from Al and destroying part of her staff, creating twin staffs of her own once more, much like what Ed had done to Mustang's staff during their spar on the Castle-Ship.

Now with the same advantage as Al, Izumi didn't hold back in her attacks against him and Ed winced when he heard once of her staffs connect with Al's head, likely dazing his little brother. However, Al's stumble backwards gave Ed the opportunity to get back into the fight, dagger and automail arm already raised to block the attacks meant for the stunned Alphonse as he got in between the two of them. Working quickly, Ed pushed Izumi back a few feet, giving Al the opportunity to pull himself together while he kept their teacher busy. Blocking another swipe of one of her staffs with automail hand, Ed slashed at Izumi with his dagger in an attack of her own but she was quick to bring her spare staff down on his left wrist sharply and painfully. Though he didn't drop the dagger, his wrist throbbed with pain and he knew that one more blow to his wrist like that would hurt him enough that he wouldn't be able to keep his grip on the blade. Glancing up at Izumi, Ed knew that his teacher had realised this as well which meant he would have to guard that wrist vigorously so Izumi couldn't take advantage of it.

Al joined Ed only a moment later, stepping up to his left side, and a glance at his little brother told Ed that Al was also aware of the hit Ed had just taken. Bolstered by the fact that Al was ready to guard his left side, Ed reengaged Izumi in the fight, using his dagger to slice at her staff while Al went for her knees. Neither attack connected and Izumi retaliated by striking out with both her staffs, aiming for Ed's left wrist once more while trying to keep Al from aiding his brother. Ed was able to avoid the hit but at the cost of a smarting bruise to the back of his left hand. However, he didn't end up losing his dagger so Ed considered it a fair trade.

As he struck out with his automail hand, aiming to get Izumi to drop one of her staffs, Ed noted the slightly more obvious heaving of both Izumi and Al's chests and he knew his own was probably rising as much as theirs. Izumi dodged his blow and Ed was forced to defend himself from retaliatory one of Izumi's before it could land. In a complete change of pace, Izumi threw herself into a backflip, putting space between them and startling the brothers from the sheer unexpectedness of the move. The reason for the added distance very quickly became apparent when Izumi utilised her air array once more and, once again, threw both boys backwards harshly.

This time, Ed landed harder than he'd done so previously since he'd twisted mid-throw so he wouldn't accidentally stab himself with his dagger. Feeling the air rush out of his lungs in one go, Ed struggled to get his breath back as his lungs fought against pulling air in. He glanced over at Al, who was thankfully in better condition than Ed and was on his feet again, planting himself in front of Ed so that Izumi wouldn't be able to get to him without going through Al first.

" _Are you alright?!"_ Blue asked fretfully.

"Just peachy," Ed said through their bond. He knew that if he'd said that out loud, he'd have been wheezing from the minimal air he was drawing in as his lungs tried to get over the shock of the blow.

Finally, he managed to heave in a proper breath and felt his body almost cry in relief at the resumed oxygen intake. Coughing since he'd breathed in too quickly, Ed rolled to his side and got back to his feet, only to throw himself to the side as one of Al's staffs came flying at him. A glance at the fighting pair confirmed that Al was down to one half-staff while Izumi was still armed with both hers. Despite his body's protests, Ed threw himself back into the fight and for the next few minutes, the three of them blocked and exchanged blows with neither party gaining any significant ground on the other for longer than a few moments.

However, despite Ed and Al's vigilance, Izumi was able to get that second blow to Ed's left wrist in and, as Ed suspected would happen, the pain on top of the already throbbing wrist was enough that he couldn't keep his grip on the dagger. Izumi didn't let either boy so much as think of regaining that dagger as she'd snatched it out of mid air and threw it several metres away from them, burying it tip first into the dirt and leaving it out of reach and therefore, unusable. Ed was once again weaponless with the exception of the lone throwing knife he had against the small of his back. He could have transmuted his automail blade into existence but Izumi made certain he didn't get the chance to as she pushed both brothers more than she had already been doing so. Al couldn't even give Ed one of his staffs since he'd lost his second and giving Ed the one he still had meant Al would be completely without a weapon.

Ed knew his dagger was no longer an option and neither were the two throwing knives he'd already used against Izumi. He couldn't be certain where it landed but Ed wasn't willing to risk the chance that Al's lost staff was within reach only for it not to be and give Izumi an easy win. Even the fact that he didn't have to clap for physical arrays wasn't working in his favour as Izumi was making sure he didn't have the chance to drop to the ground to transmute anything. Adding to his dilemma, without his dagger, Ed was forced to rely on his right arm for both offence and defence since the blows to his left wrist had damaged the arm enough that Ed wouldn't be able to use it against Izumi unless he had absolutely no choice. This decision was made mainly so he wouldn't have to sit through Lance's, Al's, and Elysia's lectures about injuring an already injured wrist even more when he didn't have to.

Just as he was considering whether using his third throwing knife now would be a good idea or not, Izumi knocked the staff out Al's hand and swiftly knocked his feet out from under him in the same moment. Ed yanked the third knife out just as Izumi placed the staff tip to Al's throat, indicating a killing blow, and threw it at her but she merely sidestepped the blade and brought the tip of her second staff to his throat, earning herself the victory. She held the staffs where they were for a few moments, making sure both boys knew she'd won this round before she pulled them away, allowing Al to get back to his feet.

"Well, neither of you were in as bad shape as I expected you to be," Izumi said as Ed and Al stood next to each other, waiting for her opinion. "Both of you could do with some extra training in some areas but for the most part, you held your own well enough that I'm sure neither of you will get killed easily in the near future because you don't know how to defend yourselves," she told them. "The only immediate thing the pair of you need to fix is the tension between you," she said bluntly. "Your teamwork may have looked as strong as ever to anyone observing this spar but to me, Al's unresolved emotions over what you told us yesterday, Ed, is plainly obvious," she informed them. "I can tell just from this fight that neither of you have spoken to the other without someone else there and you certainly haven't spoken about Ed's sacrifice in Baschool. The fact that the two of you have spent most of the day separate only confirms that I'm right and this kind of behaviour is childish – something neither of you have been for years," she told them. "Get your shit together," Izumi ordered sternly, glaring at both of them.

"Yes, Teacher," both of the boys said at the same time. Ed didn't need to glance at Al to know that his little brother was resisting the urge to duck his head like a chastised child and Ed only knew that because he was trying not to give into the same urge.

Izumi glared at both of them, as though trying to stare them into telling her whether they were lying or not but she eventually let up and nodded. "Good," she said. "I expect to see some improvement tomorrow when you both come to see Sig and I off at the train station," she informed them before continuing speaking, taking any chance of an argument away from them. "Now, let's return this field to how it originally looked before we used it," she said, glancing at the cracked earth and scattered weapons.

Neither boy argued with either of her orders and a few transmutations had the training grounds ready for use by the military once more. It also was the cue Lance was apparently waiting for before he stormed over to Ed and grabbed his left forearm. "I just finished patching you up!" he exclaimed as he inspected the damaged wrist carefully.

"As if you didn't fully expect to be doing this when I agreed to the spar," Ed said amusedly as he allowed his wrist to be manipulated by Lance.

"That is not the point," Lance informed him, though the Cuban couldn't quite hold make a grin of his own as Ed's amusement. "How injured are the two of you?" Lance asked Al and Izumi as he dug through his pack once more and came up with the speedy healing goop, numbing gel and a clean bandage to support Ed's wrist for the few hours it would take for the bad sprain to heal.

"Bruised but fine," Izumi told him, tone telling him she wouldn't be accepting any medical aid despite her interest in their medicine she'd shown earlier.

"Same for me," Al told him, pairing his words with a smile that backed them up.

Lance narrowed his eyes as he scrutinised the two of them – causing Al to look unsurprised and Izumi to look mildly impressed that he dared to do so – but he eventually nodded. "Alright," he said as he applied the numbing gel to Ed's wrist. "I have some anti-bruise spray if you want the worse ones taken care of," he offered but both shook their heads. "I know you damaged your ribs so you'll be getting some," Lance informed Ed, who merely sighed and accepted his fate.

"I can't believe both of us have been up against Lotor in full on fight and came out with more injuries against Teacher than him," Al commented in amazement.

Ed considered his words for a moment before realising his brother was absolutely right. "Shoulda probably set him up against Teacher and seen how he survived against her," Ed said with a small laugh.

"I would have actually paid money to see that," Lance said as he switched from the numbing gel to speedy healing goop. "It's obvious your teacher is a freaking awesome fighter and that was during a training spar instead of a proper fight," he gushed as he massaged the goop into Ed's wrist, ensuring it was absorbed properly.

Izumi preened a little but quickly hid her reaction. "My students and I fight with the intent of doing the other fatal damage," she informed Lance, who glanced up at her before focusing back on his task. "Anything less and they wouldn't learn as quickly or effectively as they do," she told them.

"I think you and Allura would agree on that point," Shiro said as he came to stand on Ed's other side and check on him himself. "You alright?" he asked and Ed nodded.

"The wrist and my ribs are the worst of it," Ed told him cheerfully. "You're right about Princess Allura and Teacher getting along though," Ed added.

After hearing the stories of the Altean princess, Izumi was a little pleased at the comparison but she didn't let that show either. "Since Alphonse isn't as injured as you, he can escort us to the stores we still need to visit while you get yourself treated," Izumi said, a warning threat in her voice that promised pain if Ed didn't listen to her. "Our train leaves at 6:30 tomorrow morning and both of you will be there to see us off," she instructed them once more, "and you will have sorted this out," she added, gesturing between the pair with one hand.

"Okay, Teacher," Ed agreed. "I'll see you in the morning," he said compliantly.

"Yes, Teacher," Al said, glancing at Ed before he looked back over to the Curtises. "We can head out now, if you'd like?" he suggested and got affirming nods from both of them. "We'll see you later, guys," Al said, waving to Voltron and his brother.

"Stay safe," Ed said, earning himself a nod and quick smile from Al before his brother led his teacher and her husband back out of the training grounds. "Oh, that conversation tonight is going to be so much fun," Ed complained once Al was out of hearing range.

"It needs to happen," Shiro said, though his tone was sympathetic.

"Yeah, I know," Ed sighed, flinching when he felt a light tap on his wrist. A glance showed that Lance had managed to bandage his wrist without him even noticing. "Thanks, Lance," Ed said, immediately flexing his wrist to figure out his range of movement and earning himself a flat look from the medic.

"You're welcome," Lance said, choosing not to comment on Ed's movement. "Which ribs did you bruise?" he asked, grabbing for the anti-bruise spray.

"Right," Ed said, tugging up that side of his shirt and flinching at the cool mist of spray when it hit his side. As it always did, it dried quickly and Ed was able to put his shirt down moments later. "So what do you guys want to do now?" he asked, looking around for his jackets and finding them in Hunk's arms. "Thanks, Hunk," Ed said reaching for his jackets.

"You're welcome," Hunk said with a smile as he handed the two jackets over and watched as Ed tugged them on.

"So?" Ed asked. "Any ideas?" he prompted, pulling his white gloves on, and covering his automail once more.

" _Food would be nice. We still haven't had lunch yet,"_ Blue said just as a small growl sounded from Hunk's stomach.

"I second that motion," Hunk said sheepishly when Lance repeated Blue's words.

"Food it is," Ed said decisively. "There's a good restaurant nearby that has a lot of different options and killer milkshakes," Ed told them.

"Sounds good to me," Pidge said and the others were quick to add their agreements onto the back of her words.

Ed started leading the way towards the restaurant when Lance spoke again. "Have we ever told you what happened when Allura and Coran tasted their first milkshakes?" he asked, grin widening at the amused snort from several of the others with them.

"I don't think so," Ed told him, eyes twinkling in curiousity. "What happened?"

"Oh, I can't believe we haven't told you yet!" Lance exclaimed, looking dramatically horrified at the revelation before immediately launching into the tale. "So, this was a couple of weeks after we got Kalteknecker from that space mall and…"

* * *

Several hours later, Ed found himself waiting on his bed as he heard the water running in the bathroom, telling him that Al was still in the shower. Both Shiro and Lance had all but kicked Ed out of the lounge room once Al headed for the bathroom and Blue and Black were on guard, waiting for any sign that Ed was going to defy Izumi's orders and avoid Al and the conversation they had yet to have all night. He couldn't even claim to be busy with Elysia because the young girl had been on her best behaviour when her mother had asked her brothers to look after her tomorrow since she had to cover a co-worker's shift and Elysia didn't have school, seeing as it was Saturday. Ed and Al's agreement to do so had been on the condition that Elysia wouldn't argue or fuss for the whole night and the young girl had accepted the conditions readily. Not once had she broken her promise and she was now sound asleep in her bed, meaning Ed literally had no reason to leave his room without being sent back into it like a naughty child.

" _You know that we're doing this because we love you, right?"_ Blue asked, having sensed Ed's annoyance and worry over the situation.

Ed sighed through his nose as he leant against the wall behind him. "Yeah, I know," Ed assured her. "I also know that this talk has to happen and that Teacher was right about it interfering with our teamwork and that we need to move past it but that doesn't mean I'm enjoying being forced to do it now because Teacher basically ordered us to do so and you guys are making us," Ed said honestly.

" _And we are very sorry we have to but this can't continue,"_ Blue told him. _"We could feel how much it hurt each time you remembered why Al wasn't with us today and how much it hurt when Al all but fled the train station this morning,"_ she reminded him, _"and we don't want the two of you to leave this to fester and grow before one of you finally snaps and something worse happens,"_ she said.

"You're right about what would happen if this isn't dealt with now but still…" Ed said, trailing off momentarily, distracted by the sound of the shower turning off. "But still, this isn't my idea of fun or even remotely enjoyable," he told her. "I get you guys are trying to help us and I can promise you that both of us do and will continue to appreciate it but it's frustrating that we're not being considered adults who can take care of this in our own time," he said honestly.

" _I understand that it seems like we're treating you like children and we know you aren't but we are your friends and we don't like seeing you upset because you're at odds with your brother,"_ Blue told him. _"I can't speak for the others here but I believe that this is for the best. It'll be like tearing off a band aid. Painful at first but far less so than it would've been to put it off longer than necessary,"_ she said and Ed huffed slightly.

"Most band aids will come off painlessly if you soak them long enough," he told her and grinned at her unimpressed grumble, "but I understand your meaning and, like I said, I do appreciate you wanting to help us however you can but I'm still allowed to be annoyed that your help is by treating us like we're kids who can't decide the best way to deal with this on our own," he said.

" _Of course you're allowed to be upset. I probably would be as well,"_ Blue divulged, _"but I still believe this is the best course of action and I am always right, as you know,"_ she told him, a hint of cockiness in her voice.

"I feel like there are plenty of examples where you weren't, in fact, right," Ed told her just as the door to his and Al's bedroom opened to allow his brother to enter the room, "but I will recall them later. Al just walked in," Ed told her before muting his bond with her and the other Lions enough that he wouldn't be distracted easily by them.

Ed didn't speak as Al walked into the room and softly closed the door behind him and he didn't speak as Al walked to his bed and climbed onto it. Ed was more than willing to let Al be the one to start this conversation for once and he wasn't going to say a word until Al did. However, he wasn't expecting – and in hindsight, he really should've – Al to start by asking, "are you alright?" as he gestured to the two bandages around parts of his left arm.

"Yeah," Ed told him. "Lance reckons the bandage on my wrist can come off in the morning and the other one might be able to come off tomorrow night, if not by the next morning," he said, repeating the Blue Paladin's answer to him when he'd asked earlier in the day.

"That's good," Al said honestly. "I'm glad you weren't hurt worse by Keith's attack," he admitted, shuffling back in his bed a little and mimicking Ed's position on his own bed.

"So am I," Ed said. "I wouldn't have wanted to wind up in the hospital because of a sparring accident," he said with a small chuckle.

"I don't think the doctors or nurses would've lasted long with your complaining if you had," Al teased, the hint of a grin in the corner of his lips.

"Maybe I would've annoyed Doctor Evans enough that I could have escaped him," Ed said wistfully, earning a full grin from Al.

"You'd never be that lucky," Al said flippantly and both boys couldn't stop their laughter when their eyes met. However, the laughter didn't last long as they both remembered why they were all but being locked in their room together. "I'm not mad at you anymore," Al said quietly. Ed must've made some sort of surprised noise because Al huffed out some quiet laughter. "I'm not," he repeated. "I'm not angry or upset or hateful or anything else you've probably convinced yourself that I am," Al told him, turning to look at him again. "I am sorry if I made you think I was," Al told him. "If I'm being honest, I'm not truly sure how I feel right now about what you told us yesterday," Al admitted.

"I'm sorry I never told you as soon as I could," Ed said, keeping his voice as quiet as Al's was. He saw the twitch Al gave and knew that his hiding what had happened in Baschool was still a sore point with his little brother. "I know I gave you the reasons for why I didn't and I stand by what I said. I had fully intended to tell you when your physiotherapist started talking about you being discharged from the hospital but…" Ed trailed off and Al sighed.

"You started travelling inter-dimensionally and things happened to push it from your mind until you realised how much time had passed and decided it was for the best if you never said anything," Al said, finishing Ed's sentence and Ed nodded.

"I didn't see any point in coming clean about it when all it would do was cause you pain. I had come to peace with my decision and I didn't want to watch you wind up either killing yourself looking for answers or having a breakdown when you realised there's nothing we can do," Ed admitted.

"You should've still told me, Ed," Al said, interrupting his brother. Ed glanced up and saw that Al's eyes were shining with unshed tears while he gripped his bedsheets until his knuckles were white. "I know that I would've been upset for a little while and I know I would've tried figuring out whether you'd missed something but I wouldn't be upset that you'd hidden this from me for so long and that the only reason I even know is because of an accident!" Al exclaimed, voice rising slightly but not enough that he would accidentally wake either Hughes.

"I know," Ed told him, stopping Al short before he could keep going. "I know I should've told you as soon as I could have. I should've told everyone as soon as I could have but I just didn't see the point," Ed admitted. "You and Winry would've still jumped down my throat about hiding it for however long it had been and for causing the whole situation in the first place. You would've still avoided me for however long and you still would've ignored me when I said there was nothing you or I could do to reverse what happened," Ed said, voice resigned. "I don't know how the others would've reacted if I'd said something earlier but it probably would've been awkward or tense for a while with them as well," he continued.

"After I realised how long it had been when Mustang and I first got back from our adventure with Voltron, I did consider telling you then but then I realised it really wouldn't have done anyone any good knowing about it," Ed said, repeating himself from the night before. "Besides, no one knows how Truth is going to end up collecting on that payment. It could happen because of an accident or because I did something stupid or because of some disease or –"

"Stop!" Al exclaimed and Ed looked up from his knees to find tears streaming down his brother's face. A flash of guilt immediately rolled through him as that sight. "Would you please stop talking about your death as if it doesn't matter?!" Al demanded, still somehow keeping his voice low enough that only the Lions might hear him outside this room but still managing to make Ed feel as though Al was shouting. "You're going to die _years_ earlier than you should! I am going to lose my _brother years_ before I should have to because of this! And you're just talking about it as if I'm being dramatic by being upset by this!"

"I'm not, Alphonse," Ed said sharply, making Al listen to him instead of barrelling over his words. "I don't think you're being dramatic or acting more upset with this than I think you should be. I _don't_ think that," Ed told him firmly. "I'm not happy that I'm going to die an unknown amount of years I should because of a situation I shouldn't have been in. I'm going to miss out on so much because of that one decision to confront Kimblee and I am _terrified_ ," Ed admitted, startling Al. "I'm scared, Alphonse. I don't know when my time is going to run out, I just know it will. Even if I only sacrificed ten years, who says I wasn't supposed to live past 30?" Ed asked rhetorically. "I have a clock counting down that I am completely aware of but I have no clue when it's going to hit zero and that scares the shit out of me! So why the hell would I purposefully put that burden on anyone else, let alone my little brother?" Ed asked, feeling his eyes prickle hotly with his own unshed tears.

"Ed…" Al said quietly, his tears seemingly stopped as he watched his brother admit to something he knew he would have taken to his grave if he could have.

"Older brothers aren't supposed to make their younger siblings lives harder and that's all I seem to be able to do," Ed said, sniffling slightly. "I'm going to have to tell Elysia about what happened yesterday when she's older because I promised I would and she'll never forget that. All I seem to be accomplishing these days is upsetting everyone," Ed chuckled self-deprecatingly, shaking his head at himself. "You acting like this – which I know you have every right to act like, don't get me wrong – is the reason I decided on keeping this between me, Darius and Heinkel. I just wish I'd thought to tell Darius and Heinkel that," Ed said with a small sigh and Al felt his heart clench as he realised how right Pinako had been the day before. If Al and Winry didn't learn to not react like they usually do, Ed was going to stop telling them about anything.

"Ed," Al said, before he climbed out of his bed and made himself comfortable next to Ed on his, "you should never have had to deal with this by yourself. I can't even imagine what it's been like for you this last year living with this with the only people you could've talked to on the other end of Amestris," Al said. His side was pressed up against Ed's but neither of them were looking at the other as Al spoke. "We're brothers. We're supposed to share each other's burdens and I'm so sorry that I acted the way I did. I was upset and angry that you'd been hurt when I wasn't there to help you like I should've been but that's no excuse for why I've been acting the way I have been since yesterday," Al said. "Yes, I was upset and I still am but I should've realised just how much this would be hurting you sooner and I should've been helping you deal with this," he told him.

"It's not your job to look after me, you know," Ed told him and Al huffed out an amused breath.

"You can barely look after yourself. Who else is going to put up with your shit?" Al asked teasingly, nudging Ed in the side carefully because of his ribs and earning himself a small chuckle. "I'm sorry that the way I react to this sort of news made it so you thought it would be better for you to keep everything to yourself rather than tell me," he apologised, voice sober and remorseful. "I'm going to try learning to react better when someone tells me something like that because I don't ever want someone to keep something from me because it's more pleasant for them to bury it than tell me. I especially don't want you to think like that," Al told him. "Brothers are supposed to share their burdens with each other," Al repeated, "and I'm sorry I've made you feel like you couldn't do that with me," Al said regretfully.

"You've got nothing-" Ed started saying but Al cut him off.

"Of course I do," Al said firmly. "I am sorry I almost made you think you couldn't share anything with me when you've always made me feel safe enough to share everything with you. You deserve to be able to feel as though you won't be attacked for sharing with me and I'm sorry I haven't made you feel like you could," Al apologised once more.

Ed wanted to continue his protest but he could see from the look on Al's face that this wouldn't be something he could win. "I know you didn't mean to make me feel like I couldn't go to you and tell you about whatever I'd done or felt," Ed told him. "I don't blame you for reacting the way you did. I'm sure many people would've in your position but I forgive you for it," Ed said earnestly and quickly found himself with Al wrapped around his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Brother," Al sobbed. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of what you did and I'm so sorry that I didn't see that something was wrong earlier. You don't have to be alone dealing with this. We can see if there's something we can do, if you want, but you don't have to do it alone," Al told him, voice trembling as he tried to keep his sobs down so he could be heard.

Ed felt his eyes prickle once more but this time, he didn't bother holding his tears back. "It's okay, Al. You don't have to be sorry," Ed told him, clutching his brother tightly, returning the desperate hug Al was giving him. "We can look through the libraries and see if there's anything I haven't thought of but I don't want you to drive yourself into the ground trying to find some miracle for me," Ed said.

Al sniffled but didn't remove himself from Ed's side. "I won't," he promised, choking down a sob as he did so.

Ed relaxed at the promise, even as he continued hugging Al as tightly as he had been. "Thank you, little brother," he whispered into Al's ear. If Al knew Ed was thanking for more than the promise, he didn't say anything and the brothers eventually drifted off to sleep curled up on Ed's bed with both their hearts a little lighter than they had been.

* * *

Ed blinked open blurry eyes as a both familiar and unfamiliar noise brought him back to the land of the awake and uncaffeinated. The first thing he noticed was that Al was no longer sleeping next to him but a glance at his clock told him that his brother was likely awake and readying breakfast for himself. The noise continued and Ed's mind snapped back into alertness when he realised that someone was calling him on his tablet. Wrenching open his bedside table, Ed grabbed the small, flat, black device and turned it so he could see the screen and therefore the icon he had to press to accept the call.

" _Good morning, Edward!"_ Allura greeted far more cheerfully than Ed thought was truly appropriate considering he'd not even had a cup of coffee yet.

"Good morning, Miss Allura," Ed said, stifling a yawn and clearing his throat. "What's up?" he asked when he spotted the concerned frown on the princess' face so he could avoid any sort of questioning right now.

Allura didn't look like she wanted to drop whatever she'd been about to ask but she did. _"I'm calling to let you know that the inter-dimensional teleduv has been completed!"_ she told him and Ed felt his heart leap in his chest. _"Our minor experiments have been successful and we're confident that we'll be able to bring Voltron home shortly!"_ she exclaimed happily.

Ed felt his emotions warring with themselves. On one hand, he knew Voltron couldn't stay here forever. They had homes and families most hadn't seen for ages to get back to and they had an extremely important job back in their universe but at the same time, he was sad that they were about to be given a definite time of when they would be leaving and their time in Amestris was about to run out. "That's great!" Ed said instead of focusing on sorting his emotions out. "How will this work? Do I have to get them somewhere isolated within a few vargas so you can open a portal or what?" he asked, already planning on who exactly he was going to have to take Voltron to visit so they could say goodbye.

" _No, not exactly,"_ Allura said, getting Ed's attention again. _"You see, the portal opens where I ask it to but we discovered a small problem,"_ Allura told him and Ed frowned in confusion. _"Though it will hold, we realised it will do so longer if I'm on the other side of the portal, powering it from the other end as well,"_ Allura told him. _"I've spent the last 36 vargas slowly storing my power in the machine so it can run without me there to start it,"_ Allura said. _"Samuel and Matthew have constructed a small device for me to wear,"_ she held up her wrist and showed Ed the black, almost watch-like object strapped to it, _"that will connect me with the teleduv so it will open a portal for me when I'm not near it,"_ she explained.

Ed blamed the lack of coffee in his system for how slow his brain was functioning right now. "So this means…?" Ed asked, trailing off in a silent request for Allura to fill in the blanks.

Allura beamed in excitement at him. _"It means I'll be able to see you in person shortly! I'll be paying Amestris a visit myself!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter for you, nice and early!! I really hope you guys enjoy this and please know I am not sorry for the amount of angst I've put in the last few chapters :D See you all next week!


	35. Chapter 35

"We need to get going quickly," Ed said, a note of urgency in his voice as he entered the kitchen. The only ones who weren't up were Gracia and Elysia. Gracia wouldn't have to leave for work until 8:00 that morning so Elysia was staying home while Ed and Al went to say goodbye to Izumi and Sig at the train station. The brothers had promised to be back by quarter to eight at the latest so that Gracia would be able to get dressed for work without worrying about Elysia getting herself into trouble.

Al looked up at his brother's entrance and frowned at the tone of Ed's voice. "We've got forty minutes until we have to be at the train station, Brother, and it only takes fifteen to get there. What's the rush?" he asked, eyes flicking to Shiro and Lance, as though he expected them to know what was going on.

"Miss Allura just called me," Ed revealed, instantly getting everyone's immediate attention. "She's coming to Amestris today. She just needs the five Lions to be in one spot so she can use her bond with them as a guiding beacon," he told them.

"Why?" Shiro asked, brows furrowing in confusion. "Why does she need to come here? I thought we would've just had to wait for her to open a wormhole between our dimensions and we could fly through it," he said.

"That's what I had assumed to but they've discovered that the portal is unstable unless there's two sources of her alchemy, one on either side of the portal," Ed told them. "It probably wouldn't be an issue if you guys had ended up in some planet millions of miles away but in your own dimension. Allura would've just opened a normal wormhole to get you guys. It might've drained her but she could've done it without any issues. However, from what Doctor Holt and Matt told Allura, it's like the fact that the portal opens up in a different dimension that affects it in a concerning way. They're not convinced Allura can hold it open for long enough for the ten of you to get through in one piece," Ed explained. "So, they came up with a device that connects Allura to the teleduv, no matter the distance between them and one that is attached to the teleduv that holds Allura's alchemic energy. When she activates the device on her, Allura will also activate the device on the teleduv and somehow the two lots of energy working together forms a bridge, which stabilises the portal, making it safer for you guys to get through. It just means that Allura has to be the last one through," Ed said.

Shiro's frown hadn't smoothed out and Lance looked worried. "But wouldn't Allura be risking herself to come over here in the first place?" Lance asked.

Ed shook his head. "No," he assured him. "The Holts are positive that the portal will be stable enough for Allura to get through. The destabilisation only worsens with each object or person going through it," he explained, repeating Allura's words from only minutes earlier. "If Allura stayed on the Castle-Ship, Doctor Holt theorised that maybe three or four of you could make it back fine before the portal collapses or Allura can't hold it," Ed said, "and since it'll take Allura a couple of days to recover her energy between activations of the teleduv, it's take nearly a week to get you all back to your dimension. With her coming over here, she'll only need to take the couple of days to rest before she can power the teleduv from both ends and get you all home in one go," Ed revealed.

Shiro, Lance, Blue and Black still looked concerned for Allura's health and safety but they seemed to relax a little with Ed's words. "So when is she arriving?" Shiro asked.

"Not until I have the Lions give her the okay and that won't be until Teacher and Sig are gone and we've warned Mustang, who'll warn Grumman," Ed told him. "We'll honestly be lucky if she's here before Miss Gracia needs to leave for work," Ed admitted.

"Why do you need to tell Grumman and Mustang?" Lance asked before clarifying himself immediately. "I mean, why do you have to tell them in person? Can't you ask Yellow, Red, or Green to tell their pilot and have whichever one is told tell Mustang and he tell Grumman?" Lance asked.

"I could but I'd rather tell Grumman myself, if only to make sure he's told before Allura actually arrives," Ed told him. "I don't know what Mustang's schedule is like so I have no idea if he'll be able to tell Grumman immediately," Ed said as he swiped some buttered toast off the pile Al had finished making. Al glared at him but didn't say anything as Ed shoved half a piece a toast in his mouth, chewed for a moment and washed it down with half a cup of fresh coffee that Lance handed to him with an amused smirk. "Cheers," Ed said once his mouth was empty. "Do you four want to come with us this morning or stay here until we're back? Either way, we likely won't be okaying Miss Allura's arrival until Miss Gracia is gone for the day because we won't have the time after seeing Grumman to get somewhere isolated so that no one panics when a portal opens randomly," Ed explained before Lance or Shiro could answer him.

Shiro and Lance glanced at one another before looking at their Lions. Lance ended up shrugging to Shiro, telling the older man it was up to him. Shiro looked over at Ed, who was now making his way through his third piece of toast. "We'll go with you, if that's alright? We might be able to help answer questions Grumman might have since the Lions can talk with Allura," Shiro said.

Ed nodded as he drained the last of his first coffee. "Yeah, I don't mind. Wouldn't have made it an option if I did," he said with a smirk that had both Paladins rolling their eyes.

"We can go when everyone's finished breakfast," Al told everyone as he poured another two coffees, handing one to Ed without being prodded by his older brother to do so.

"Thanks," Ed said as he took the coffee and another piece of toast from the dwindling pile. "Don't say anything about a caffeine addiction," Ed warned, poking a finger at both Black and Blue.

" _We weren't going to say anything,"_ Black said, sounding offended that Ed had even suggested she would.

Ed gave her a flat look while Lance tried to smother his laughter. Ed wasn't completely sure what Blue had said to him but it was apparent Black didn't appreciate it. "Sure you weren't," Ed muttered at her, sipping his coffee slowly, savouring this one now that he had caffeine in his system.

" _But it's not like we wouldn't be wrong,"_ Blue sassed, chuckling when Ed flipped her off.

"They really wouldn't have," Al said, even as he drank his own coffee.

Ed pointedly looked at Al's coffee cup before glancing up at his face then back at his coffee. "Pot, meet kettle," he deadpanned, grinning into his coffee as he heard several huffs of laughter, both in his mind and around him.

* * *

"Have a safe trip back," Ed said, waving goodbye to his teacher and her husband from where he stood on the station platform with Al and Voltron behind him. Al was standing on his right, waving goodbye alongside his brother. Ed was almost certain he didn't imagine the approving glance he and Al got from Izumi.

"Neither of you had better be dead by the time Sig and I pay you a visit next," Izumi warned the pair of brothers. "And if I find out you are, you can bet your arses that I'll bring you back just to end you again," she promised them, adding a glare to reinforce her point further.

"Yes, Teacher," both Al and Ed immediately said in agreement, voices appropriately fearful and Izumi nodded in satisfaction.

"Goodbye, boys. Keep yourselves safe," Sig rumbled from his seat, giving them a rare and warm smile.

"We'll do our best," Ed promised him. He didn't notice the disbelieving look Al gave him then Sig, whose only sign of amusement was a wider smile.

The train whistle blew, signalling its impending departure. Izumi glared at the boys one more time while Sig gave them another smile that had hints of worry, pride, and affection in it. "It was nice meeting the ten of you. I truly hope we can see each other again and please pass on our apologies to Princess Allura that we couldn't delay our departure so we could meet her," Izumi said, eyes softening slightly as they turned to Voltron.

"It was a pleasure meeting the both of you as well," Shiro said, slipping back into his usual task of speaking on behalf of the team. "Have a safe journey home and I'll pass on your message to Princess Allura, though I can assure you that Allura will understand why you couldn't meet her today and that she would be happy to arrange to meet you at a later date," he told her.

Izumi and Sig gave him a smile before they waved to everyone just as the train started pulling away from the station. Ed and Al didn't drop their arms until the last train carriage was out of the station and the moment it was, they immediately high-fived. "Another visit survived!" Ed cheered, earning himself numerous chuckles and amused snorts from everyone except Al, who was grinning with the same amount of excitement as his brother.

"And you didn't even land in hospital this time!" Al exclaimed, grin widening and eyes shining brightly. "I think I can only think of, like, two other visits where that hasn't happened!"

"You just had to bring up my record?" Ed asked as he and Al started heading out of the train station, waving or nodding to the employees they knew while Voltron walked behind them, the Lions ensuring they had a relatively clear path.

"Yes. I absolutely had to," Al told him, completely straight-faced before yelping and rubbing his right shoulder, glaring at Ed, who looked thoroughly unphased by it.

"How many times do I have to say not to sass me if you don't want to get hit?" Ed asked, brow raised pointedly when his brother started grumbling.

"Ah, sibling love," Lance sighed teasingly, earning a double-Elric glare for himself, which caused him to chuckle nervously. He noticed the amusement oozing from his Lion and glared at her, even as the others around him laughed at his reaction. Lance refused to admit that his pout stayed in place until at least three blocks away from the train station.

* * *

"Did you really have to go out of your way to tell the guards not to warn General Mustang that we were here, even if they were under orders to do so?" Al asked, sounding thoroughly exasperated by his brother's actions.

"Can you really blame me for wanting to go one day without seeing that bastard's face?" Ed asked, sounding shocked that Al would.

"Brother," Al sighed long-sufferingly.

"Alphonse, I really feel like I need to say this once – just for my peace of mind – but I think you ought to give up on trying to change this part of Ed," Shiro suggested, nearly pleading.

"Stubbornness is an Elric trait and I am just as stubborn as my brother is," Alphonse informed him, glaring at Ed who had been chuckling at Shiro's suggestion.

"At least I can say I tried," Shiro said, shrugging a shoulder and backing down immediately without any further argument.

Ed shook his head as they entered the large elevator and hit the button for the floor Grumman's office was on. The doors slid shut smoothly and they all felt that familiar swooping sensation that came with an elevator going upwards. "I'll give you points for trying, Shiro," Ed told him as he leant against the side of the elevator so he could face the Black Paladin, "and I'll even give you bonus points because I am certain no one has ever asked him to do that. Not even Miss Riza," Ed said, sounding rather surprised by his own admission.

"Not true," Al said as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. "Captain Hawkeye was the one to ask me to try and get you to change your attitude then she told me it wasn't necessary anymore after a couple of months so I could stop trying but I didn't listen," Al admitted.

Ed gave him a mildly exasperatedly shocked look. "You _ignored_ Miss Riza's instruction?" Ed asked. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with my brother?!" Ed asked, turning so he was walking backwards and giving Al a suspicious look that had the younger Elric rolling his eyes.

"Stop being an idiot," Al chided, even if he was grinning at Ed's behaviour.

"Is that possible for Ed?" Pidge asked, grinning when everyone bar Ed laughed at her words and Ed's offended gasp.

"Hey!" Ed protested, scowling at everyone, most of whom were still chuckling at Ed's expression. His scowl needed to disappear when they found themselves in front of Grumman's outer office door. "You're all arseholes," he muttered, swinging the door open so no one could say anything in response.

Or no one who didn't have a mental connection with him at least. _"Hey! That's so rude!"_ Blue protested. _"We weren't teasing you,"_ she grumbled.

Ed considered her words even as he greeted Samantha. "That's true," Ed admitted. "I apologise to the five of you," he said through their connections. He could tell the moment the Paladins felt the Lions joy and smugness through their bond with their individual Lion and he couldn't hold back his smirk at it. "We need to speak with Fuhrer Grumman, if he has a couple of minutes?" Ed asked Samantha, who had been speaking with Alphonse so she hadn't noticed that Ed wasn't really paying attention to her for a few moments.

"I think he might," Samantha told them as she flicked through Grumman's schedule. "It's Saturday so there aren't many meetings being held today," she explained as she reached the page she needed. A quick scan of the pencilled-in meetings written in the top half of the page had Samantha nodding her head. "He has ten minutes before he's scheduled to meet with General Brathwaite," Samantha said, "which means you'll have fifteen minutes at the absolute most before he needs to leave, okay?"

"More than enough time," Ed said, giving her a blinding smile. "Thank you, Miss Samantha."

Samantha returned his smile. "You're welcome, Edward," she said. "Just let me call him so he has a heads up," she said, reaching for her phone.

Even though he knew she'd only asked to be polite and that she would've called Grumman anyway, Ed still nodded and took a couple of steps away from her desk so she had some privacy. "So we've got fifteen minutes?" Shiro asked and Ed nodded.

"We actually have ten really but fifteen if we absolutely need it," Ed corrected. "But I'd be extraordinarily surprised if this takes us more than ten minutes," he told him.

"Same," Al agreed just as Samantha placed the phone back in its cradle.

"Go on ahead, guys," Samantha said, even as she got up from her seat to open the inner office doors like she always did. "I'll see you in a few minutes," she said, giving all of them a warning look that lasted two seconds before she grinned to show she was only teasing.

Ed matched her smile. "Maybe we'll take those fifteen minutes," he teased right back and earned himself a look that told him if they did, she'd make them regret it. "See you in a bit, Miss Samantha," Ed laughed as the doors were pushed open, permitting them entrance.

Samantha nodded at him, a warning glint still in her eyes as she opened the doors. "Good morning, everyone," Grumman greeted before Samantha could announce them.

"Morning, Sir," Ed said as he moved inside, leading the way for the others and waving goodbye to Samantha at the same time. "Thanks for agreeing to a quick meeting," he said as everyone finished entering the office. There was a soft click that told Ed that the doors were now shut, leaving them alone inside Grumman's office with the Fuhrer.

"I figured it must've been important for you to be at my door this early on a Saturday morning," Grumman told him, an amused curl of his lips the only betrayal of his impassive mask.

"Well, you'd be right," Ed told him as he glared at Pidge and Lance, both of whom had snatched the two comfortable chairs that sat in front of Grumman's desk. "I've told you that Pidge managed to connect my tablet to everyone else's on the Castle-Ship, right?" he asked, suddenly unsure of whether he had or not. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had slipped his mind.

"Yes, you have," Grumman said with a nod.

Ed was mildly surprised at that but didn't comment on it. "Awesome, that'll make this go a lot quicker and mean Miss Samantha probably won't burst in to drag us out by the ears," he said, only half joking. Grumman really did grin at that before managing to look neutral once more and gestured for Ed to continue. "I received a call from Princess Allura this morning to tell me that the inter-dimensional teleduv they've been working on is finally able to be used," he explained before launching into the rest of what he'd told Lance, Shiro and Al in Gracia's kitchen that morning.

Grumman listened to what he said quietly, only interrupting to ask the same questions Ed had been asked that morning before going back to attentive silence as Ed explained. "I see," Grumman said when Ed finally finished speaking. "So we'll have another diplomatic guest arriving shortly?" he asked and Ed nodded.

"As soon as we give her the all-clear to do so, she'll arrive," Ed confirmed.

Grumman sighed slightly before leaning back in his seat and regarding Ed for a moment. "You already have a location and cover plan in mind, don't you?" he asked and Ed grinned at him.

"I do," he revealed, earning looks from everyone else since this was news to them. "I thought that maybe I could take Voltron just outside of Central to see the ruins of the cabin where we held Gluttony captive. Princess Allura will sense when the five Lions are there before she has someone she found and trusts to use quintessence open a portal long enough for her to get through," Ed said. "The user will only have enough energy to open a portal big enough for her to use since they've never done this before. Once they know they were successful, the quintessence user will rest for two days before opening a portal large enough for the eleven of them to cross over," Ed finished saying.

Grumman mulled over the story for a few moments. "I admit that it's a good story," Grumman told him. "However, the one thing I think someone would question is how would this quintessence user know whether Princess Allura made it safely? For that matter, how will they know when the eleven of them are together and ready to leave?" Grumman asked, brows raised.

Ed glanced over at Al and Voltron, letting them know silently that they were more than welcome to jump in if they had any ideas on how to answer Grumman's questions. After a couple of seconds, Lance perked up slightly. "Allura's gonna be wearing something on her wrist right? Something that connects her to the teleduv?" he asked and Ed nodded. "We could say that it's a way of tracking her through quintessence? Maybe the 'person' who is creating the portal made it so that Allura can press something that releases quintessence that can be picked up by them? We can say that Allura will press it again when she's ready for the portal to open again," he suggested, looking at the others to see what they thought.

No one spoke for a few moments until Grumman nodded. "It could work," he said. "We don't actually know the technology behind your bayards so we don't know what other technological advances you have. The only problem I can foresee is a general or two becoming paranoid over the whole portal thing," Grumman said. "It was alright when you ten turned up," he gestured to Voltron, "because you told us that quintessence was only recently discovered and no one knew much about it which told the generals that it would unlikely be used against us. Now you're planning on telling us that Allura found someone to use quintessence to open a portal deliberately so she can enter Amestris. That's going to make quite a few higher-ups ask what would stop your country from portalling an army into Amestris at a later date," he explained.

Ed hummed in thought but it was Al who spoke next. "What if we spoke to Allura and asked her to provide Amestris with technological advances that will help us?" he asked. "I know that Allura's home planet is far too advanced for us to try and catch up with now but I also know Pidge has some blue prints drawn up that she's been trying to figure out how to give us," Al explained before anyone could veto his idea. "If Allura readily agrees with no hesitation to give us those blueprints, you and she could strike a trade agreement or something similar. That might help ease the generals' fear and suspicion," he said.

Ed nodded. "It follows equivalent exchange, which I know most of the generals are familiar with and agree with," Ed said, making it obvious he was backing Al's idea. "The plans Pidge has are more advanced than what we've got but not so advanced that we'd never be able to pull them off in the near future. At first, the plans can be in exchange for looking after Voltron and helping with Lotor. If you and Allura think having a trade agreement in place is a good idea – assuming you and Allura agree that Voltron visiting every now and then can happen – then we'll have to come up with things we could trade for technological advances and whatnot," Ed said.

"Allura is definitely the kind of leader who would offer repayment to a foreign planet or country who took us in, looked after us and helped us with someone like Lotor with no warning. The idea that she'd pay the country back however she could certainly wouldn't be out of the question," Shiro said, interjecting himself into the conversation.

Grumman's eyes flicked over all of them, looking to see if anyone seemed as though they didn't agree with Ed or Shiro. Finding nothing of the sort, Grumman nodded. "I believe you're right. Amestris being offered technological advances in repayment for looking after Allura's citizens would likely ease any suspicions the generals might have regarding Allura and her intentions towards us," Grumman said, leaning back in his chair. "I'd like to speak with Allura once she's here and settled enough to agree to a meeting with me so we can introduce her to the generals and present the idea to them and look like we're in agreement with each other," he told them.

"Yeah, that won't be an issue," Ed said immediately. "She'll probably want to meet you ASAP as well," he said, a smile stretching on his face when all of Voltron nodded in agreement with him. "We'll have Elysia with us but we can see if Fuery or someone will keep an eye on her, if that meeting with the generals happens before Miss Gracia gets off work," he said, glancing at Al.

"I can't see why the meeting wouldn't happen by this afternoon but I'll be sure to give you plenty of warning," Grumman promised.

"Thanks, Grumman," Ed said, gladdened that they seemed to have a solid plan in place now. "We'll take off now, if that's good with you? We've still gotta go by Doctor Knox's office and pick up Lotor's cremains before we get back to Miss Gracia's before she leaves for work," Ed said, his tone reminding everyone that they were on a deadline and neither person he mentioned would be happy if they were late, which got Al looking like he was ready to start leading everyone out of the office.

Grumman's lips lifted in amusement as he nodded. "I'll wait to hear from you before I pull the generals in for a meeting. I'll have Samantha call you with a time, if I don't see you with Princess Allura beforehand," Grumman told him.

"We'll be at Miss Gracia's, if we're not on base already," Ed told him and Grumman tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"I'll inform Samantha," Grumman said. "In the meantime, I think it'd be best if you hurried along to Doctor Knox's so that the good doctor doesn't have any reason to call General Mustang to rant at him," Grumman suggested.

Ed's eyes lit up immediately but Al smacked his shoulder, causing the older blonde to flinch and snarl at his younger brother. "No, we are _not_ going to be purposefully late to Doctor Knox's so that you can get General Mustang yelled at," Al scolded.

"I didn't even say anything!" Ed protested, rubbing the spot on his arm Al had hit and finding himself feeling even more grateful for Lance's foresight in packing some of their first-aid kits in his bag. Al had managed to hit him in between the two injuries he'd gotten from Keith the day before but he knew the hit would've hurt way worse if they were healing at the rate he normally healed at.

"I know what you were thinking," Al informed him, eyes rolling at his brother's dramatics.

" _We can make us a little late for Doctor Knox by getting distracted by things,"_ Red offered as the humans around them started wishing Grumman a good day while trying to keep their amusement at Ed and Al hidden.

"I won't encourage that but I'm not actively discouraging it either," Ed told her, grinning when he felt her acceptance and determination. Before anyone could comment on his smirk, Ed saluted Grumman. "We'll probably see you later today."

"I imagine you will," Grumman said with a nod and amused glint in his eyes. "You're dismissed," he told them, gesturing pointedly to the door and Ed didn't hesitate.

"Cheers, Grumman," Ed said, giving the man a wave as he opened the door and allowed everyone to walk out first as they repeated their own goodbyes. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts," he joked.

Grumman snorted lightly. "I appreciate that, Edward," he said as he pulled his paperwork towards himself. "You'd better leave before your brother thinks you and the Lions are going to try making General Mustang's day a little more difficult," he warned him, an amused smirk curling on his lips at Ed's sheepish chuckle.

"Yeah, you've got a point," Ed said, voice light with laughter. "See ya, Grumman!" he said once more before he closed the door, waving at the amused older man as he did so.

"From what Alphonse has said, I might be expecting a call from you later this morning?" Samantha asked, getting Ed's immediate attention.

"Yeah, that or another visit, depending on how things go down," Ed warned her.

Samantha nodded in acceptance that her day may get a touch more hectic than she'd thought it would be that morning. "I'll speak with you later and if I don't end up seeing you later today, I hope you all have a good one," she said, giving them all a pleasant smile.

"You as well, Miss Samantha," Ed said, finding himself echoed almost verbatim by everyone else.

The group left the outer office with a wave from Samantha, leaving her in the peace and quiet of an empty office – at least, until something or someone interrupted it for a meeting or something else with Grumman or Samantha herself. Once they were outside, Ed and Al took up the lead as they usually did and Ed was a mixture of amused and annoyed at the pace Al was setting. It was obvious Al hadn't bought Ed's innocent act and was trying to ensure he wouldn't be able to worsen Mustang's day, no matter how slight it would've been.

"I've elected to let you all try and slow us down, if you're in," Ed said through his bond with the Lions.

The five of them looked at the slight glare Ed was giving the seemingly oblivious Al before they looked at one another and had a quick but silent conversation with each other. A few moments later, Ed was trying to wipe the grin that appeared at the Lions' response off his face. _"Leave it to us."_

* * *

"I swear, it's not much further," Ed said, pausing in his stride to hike Elysia up so she was more securely on his back.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago," Pidge grumbled, glaring at Ed for a moment before her eyes went back onto the trail they were following.

"I've only been here twice before and that was well over a year ago _and_ I got here both times in a car and from different directions. Pardon me for not having the trail memorised," Ed snapped, unwilling to put the effort into keeping his voice civil. It had been a long and rushed morning once they'd left Grumman's office and the longer-than-previously-thought hike was only chipping away at his patience with each extra minute they weren't at the cabin where Gluttony had been held captive.

"I believe we need to follow the right-hand path, Edward," Hawkeye said calmly before anyone else could say anything.

To say it had been a surprise to run into Hawkeye walking Black Hayate on their way from Doctor Knox's, interrupting Al's half-hearted lecture of Ed and the Lions for making them three minutes late and ticking off Knox, would be an understatement. Ed had been rolling his eyes at Al's words when the familiar bark had sounded, drawing his attention immediately. Hawkeye had looked as shocked to see them in front of her as they were to see her, though her surprise was hidden far more quickly than theirs was. As Hawkeye explained while Black Hayate proved how much he'd taken after his owner and fearlessly and enthusiastically approached the Lions, yipping and whining in his excitement – something the Lions were delighted in since none of them had met an animal as small or as excited to see them as Hayate –, today was her day off for the week and she'd decided to take Hayate on an extra long walk to make up for the slightly shorter one he'd suffered on the Promised Day anniversary.

When Ed had quietly explained what they were doing, Hawkeye had asked to accompany them to the cabin where they planned on having Allura appear. Though Ed had no issues with it, he did glance at Shiro and the others to gauge their thoughts on her request. Seeing no objections, Ed had told her they'd be happy to have her with them, though he then did warn her that they'd be stopping by Gracia's to pick up Elysia first and that they'd possibly be going back to the base if Allura wanted to speak with Grumman right away to get it over and done with. Hawkeye had had no problems with that and since Black Hayate seemed to be excited about the extra long walk _and_ being around the Lions – who he'd taken to to far quicker than Den had – for longer, they'd both joined them for the rest of the walk to Gracia's.

The decision to let Hawkeye come with them was proving to be a good one in more ways than one since she did remember the way to the cabin in more detail than Ed seemed to. "Thanks, Miss Riza," Ed said, dipping his head gratefully as he followed her instructions.

"How long do we have to wait once we're there to meet Princess 'llura?" Elysia asked, voice nearly vibrating with the excitement that obviously hadn't dissipated in the slightest since they'd told the young girl what they were doing that morning.

Ed hummed in thought. "Well, I don't think it'll take an awfully long time once we've made sure the area is clear and told Miss Allura that she's safe to open the portal," Ed told her. "We might only have to wait a couple of minutes," he said.

"Wow," Elysia whispered with an awe that had Ed grinning slightly.

" _It's so cute how excited she is,"_ Yellow said, eyes melting as she watched Elysia take in the sights, eyes obviously watching in case Allura appeared before they could give her the okay.

"You know, I'm suddenly glad you don't have a bond with Elysia," Ed told her through theirs. Hearing the questioning noise from Yellow, he elaborated with a cheeky grin. "She'd get her way with everything if you two were bonded," Ed chuckled.

Yellow huffed in amusement and annoyance. _"I can't even honestly say that you're wrong because I know you're absolutely right,"_ she muttered, causing Ed and Hunk – who had been privy to Yellow's side of the conversation – laugh.

The last few minutes of walking were done in silence as Ed, Al and Hawkeye paid closer attention to the trail so they didn't end up lost while aiding the Lions, Paladins and Black Hayate in checking their surroundings for any enemies or opportunistic and curious hikers. When they finally stumbled upon the cabin, Ed took it in and compared it to how he remembered the structure and its immediate surrounds from a year ago. The cabin had been half destroyed by Gluttony when the homunculous had been overtaken by a murderous rage upon realising Mustang had killed Lust. That rage had also carved trenches into the earth, destroying everything its path as Gluttony sought revenge.

To Ed's eye, the only change to the place from the moment he, Darius, and Heinkel had joined up with Greed/Ling was how overgrown the area was. Obviously the land was still abandoned since no repair work had been done to the cabin and no recent attempts had been made to combat nature in its attempt to take the rotting structure for itself. The only untouched area were the scars in the earth left by Gluttony's devouring beam. It seemed that the grass couldn't or wouldn't grow in them and it made Ed curious as to why.

"Alright," Ed said, shaking his mind free of his thoughts. "Elysia, stay with Miss Riza while Al and I check the area out," Ed instructed, crouching so Elysia could slip off his back easily.

"Okay, big brother," Elysia said agreeably, moving over to play with Black Hayate, who looked positively thrilled by the little girl's approach.

"How far out, Ed?" Alphonse asked, readying his hands to clap.

Ed tugged off his white glove before tugging on his black one smoothly and quickly. "2 k's should be enough," Ed told him before turning his back to Al. He felt his brother's back hit his before he stretched out his left hand and hovered his right fingers over the array stitched on the glove. "On my count," he said, feeling Al nod. "3, 2, 1," he counted down before placing his fingers on the array and feeling it activate as a clap rang out from behind him.

It only took a few seconds for his tracking array to finish scanning the area in front of him for the two kilometres he'd told Al to scan. The fact that he didn't have scan the area behind him aided his array's completion time considerably. Finally, he stopped the array and blinked as his eyes adjusted to his normal vision. He heard the small gasp that indicated that Al had finished his own scan just as he'd tugged off the black glove.

"I didn't see anything, Brother," Al said before amending himself. "Aside from us and everyone with us."

"Neither did I," Ed told him, pulling his white glove back on and placing the black one back with its matching partner. Turning to the avid crowd, Ed nodded. "All clear," he reported before looking at the Lions. "Give Miss Allura the go-ahead."

Ed didn't hear them give him confirmation they would but he sensed it when they had. It was like there was a shift to the air around them, almost as though the universe knew what was about to happen. Ed felt the change to a certain area immediately and recognised the feeling straight away. What he could sense was a stronger version of what he'd felt in Washington D.C. when the portals were being opened inside the NCIS parking lot. The sensation only grew as the portal slowly became visible, growing to the point where Ed was holding back a grimace and Al was looking uncomfortable.

Finally, a swirling mass of air appeared as blue and pink energy mixed together – and if what Ed was sensing was right, it was Allura's alchemy mixing with the alchemy of Amestris – before a figure seemingly appeared out of nowhere to step out of it. Ed could hear a small, frightened gasp and glanced to find Elysia watching the mass of energy with wide eyes, clutching onto one of Hawkeye's hands while Black Hayate stood in front of the young girl, fur standing on end as he growled protectively and threateningly at the mass. The figure took two steps towards the gathered group before the mass of swirling energy just suddenly stopped and disappeared, leaving a victorious and exuberant looking Allura standing in front of where it had been, a small bag draped over one shoulder. She grinned at them as her eyes greedily drunk in the sight of her friends and adopted family looking safe and sound, thought they did linger on both Hawkeye and Elysia – the only two she didn't know personally.

"Hello, everyone," Allura greeted happily, her voice shaking with her joy. "It's good to see all of you in one piece," she told them, sounding serious and relieved.

"Hey, Miss Allura," Ed said, being the first one to respond to her. "It's good to see you in one piece as well. I'm glad that the teleduv worked as you promised it would," he told her.

Allura grinned as Ed's voice seemed to break Voltron out of their stunned shock. Despite the fact that they'd known what was happening, it seemed that the humans at least hadn't honestly believed that Allura would be appearing in front of them. Lance was the first one to move – though Hunk was a close second – and to wrap Allura in a hug. She let out a startled laugh when Lance collided with her and that laughter only increased when Hunk reached the both of them. Shiro, Keith and Pidge headed over as soon as Hunk had placed both Allura and Lance back on their feet after sweeping them both up in a tight hug. The Lions had beaten the last three Paladins and Ed grinned as he watched them demand attention from Allura while she tried to answer the questions everyone was pestering her with.

"Is that the princess, big brother?" Elysia's voice grabbed Ed's attention and he looked away from Voltron and Allura in favour of looking at Elysia, who was still holding Hawkeye's hand but not as tightly as she had been before. Ed was also relieved to see that Black Hayate had seemed to calm down and was now watching the scene with interest while Hawkeye watched it with both intrigue and suspicion, as though she was waiting for some kind of attack. Ed couldn't be truly surprised with the captain's behaviour since it was her job to stay on high alert, especially around people she didn't know.

"Yeah, that's Princess Allura," Ed told her, taking the few steps needed so he could crouch in front of her. "I'll introduce you, Miss Riza, and Black Hayate to her once Voltron's finished saying hello to her, okay?"

Elysia nodded in agreement but kept her eyes on the chattering group in front of them. Allura was still answering questions being rapidly asked by the humans of Voltron. Ed almost felt surprised by how many questions there were until he realised they literally only got his tablet connected to the ones on the Castle-Ship a few days ago and Voltron really hadn't had the chance to speak with anyone using it in those few days since it was always with him. Allura didn't see to mind how she was immediately asked another question the moment she finished answering a different one. In fact, it seemed to Ed that she was enjoying it and that did surprise him – if only because he knew he would've been sick of the questioning by now – until he realised that Allura had also gone all this time without being able to speak to them and that she'd missed them enough that she was basically relishing at being able to speak with them face to face again.

The Altean princess finished reassuring Pidge that her family was okay for the third time before she spotted Ed standing off to the side with Alphonse and two people who – though she had never met or spoken to them before – she believed she could easily identify from Ed and Mustang's descriptions alone. Turning back to her family, Allura held up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up later on," Allura told them, giving them an indulgent smile when a few of them made their disappointment at having to wait for the rest of their questions to be answered known. "Besides, I would like to be introduced to those here that I haven't met properly yet and I am aware that there are diplomatic tasks I need to take care of while we are still here," she said.

Shiro startled slightly and Ed had to hold back a snort of laughter when the Black Paladin gave him and those with him a sheepish grin. "That's a good idea," Shiro said, scratching the back of his neck embarrassedly. "As you said, we'll have plenty of time to speak in length about everything later," he said, echoing her words.

"Precisely," Allura said before she broke out of the group and made her way over to where Ed, Al, Hawkeye, Elysia, and Black Hayate were waiting. She didn't even hesitate as she pulled Ed – who didn't yelp, no matter what everyone else said – into a tight hug that he returned fairly quickly. "It's so good to see you in person, Edward!" Allura said, voice low as she tightened her grip slightly.

"You too, Miss Allura," Ed said as he tightened his own hug.

Allura was the first one to step back from the hug, though she did pet his cheek lightly before her eyes fell on Alphonse. "It's so wonderful to meet you in person, Alphonse!" Allura exclaimed, thrusting out her hand so Al could shake it.

"It's great to meet you in person as well, Princess Allura," Al said politely, shaking Allura's hand and smiling at her. "I'm glad the teleduv worked as it was supposed to," he added, earning himself a delighted smile from Allura.

"I had absolutely no doubts it would," Allura assured him. "Doctor Holt and Matthew are as intelligent as Pidge so I knew I was in good hands," she said, apparently oblivious to Pidge's sudden blush and Lance's teasing coos when he noticed his younger friend's reaction.

Ed saw Elysia shift slightly and focused on the his adopted sister once more. The awed expression on her face as she took in a real-life space princess for the first time almost had Ed grinning but he managed to keep his amusement off his face. "Miss Allura?" Ed called, getting Allura's attention before he gestured to those who still needed to be introduced to her. "Let me introduce Captain Riza Hawkeye and her dog, Black Hayate," he said, gesturing to the pair.

Hayate was now sitting patiently in between Hawkeye and Elysia but his brown eyes were watching Allura with avid excitement, now that he knew she wasn't a danger to them. Hawkeye held out her free hand to Allura before Ed could start introducing Elysia. "It's delightful to meet you, Princess Allura. Edward and General Mustang have both spoken highly of you and I'd like to take this chance to thank you in person for making sure they both survived long enough to come back home from their adventure with you," Hawkeye said as Allura gripped her hand and shook it.

"They both agreed to – and did – help us save our universe from those tyrants. Ensuring their safety and well-being was the least we could do for them," Allura told her. "However, I would like to take this chance to thank you for helping Edward and General Mustang assist Voltron while they were stuck in your dimension with no warning," Allura said, looking and sounding very grateful to the female sharpshooter.

"It was no trouble at all," Hawkeye assured the princess. Hayate seemed to lose his patience a little at having to wait for Allura to notice him as he shifted from a sitting position to standing and shuffled slightly, as though he was going to yap at Allura. "Hayate, stay still," Hawkeye ordered, voice sharp and Hayate did as he was told even as he whined slightly.

Ed only just managed to turn his snort of laughter into a cough at the way Allura's eyes grew large and the normally composed princess seemed to melt at the sight of Hayate. "Oh, look at him! He's so little!" she cooed, crouching so she was within easier reach of the delighted dog. "Am I allowed to touch him?" Allura asked, hand already halfway to the little dog's head.

"Of course. He's friendly unless given an order to be otherwise," Hawkeye told her. Ed noticed the slight upward curl of Hawkeye's mouth, telling him and anyone else who noticed that she was amused with Allura's reaction.

Allura gasped in delight and let her hand fall onto Hayate's head, gently scratching him between the ears. Hayate damn near melted in pleasure at the attention he was receiving, something which only fuelled Allura's joy and caused her to coo at him. Hayate only got to enjoy the attention for a few more seconds before Allura reluctantly pulled away and straightened from her crouch. The little dog started to whine but cut himself off when Hawkeye cleared her throat pointedly. "Thank you," Allura said, bowing her head slightly.

"You're welcome," Hawkeye said, her visible amusement gone and voice far more friendly than Ed had heard it be around someone the captain had only known personally for a handful of minutes.

"Miss Allura?" Ed called and got Allura's attention back. "There's one more person I need to introduce before we head into Central," Ed told her as he walked to stand on Elysia's other side. "This is mine and Al's little sister, Elysia Hughes," Ed said, placing his right hand on Elysia's shoulder and squeezing it slightly.

"It's nice to meet you, Princess Allura," Elysia said, carefully making sure she enunciated Allura's title and name properly.

"It is my pleasure to meet someone who Edward and General Mustang holds so dear to them," Allura said, grasping her hand and giving it a friendly squeeze as she crouched once more. "I hear that you are also a princess. I don't think I've ever met a princess quite as lovely and kind as you are," Allura told her, smiling widely when Elysia's face flushed bright red.

"'m not a _real_ princess like you," Elysia managed to mumble, her embarrassment obvious.

"Nonsense," Allura chided gently and Elysia looked up at her with wide eyes. "With everything I've heard about from Edward and General Mustang while they visited us and from everything I've heard from Edward through the Lions in the phoebs between, you are a true princess and meeting you will be a memory I cherish for the rest of my life," Allura said softly and honestly.

Ed could feel Elysia's free hand on his pants leg and knew without looking that she was fighting back the tears of joy that threatened to overwhelm her in the face of Allura's genuineness. "Thank you, Princess Allura," Elysia said, voice trembling as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. "I'm really happy I got to meet you as well! You're as nice as big brother Ed said you were," she told her, beaming widely.

"Thank you, Princess Elysia," Allura said, a soft and kind smile on her lips.

"You can just call me Elysia," the little girl told her, her flush back in full force at being addressed by a royal title by a princess.

"Then you may call me Allura. All of my friends do and I hope we can be friends," Allura said openly.

Elysia looked scandalised by the very thought of _not_ being friends with Allura. "Course we can! You're big brother Ed's friend and Uncle Roy's so you're my friend too!" Elysia assured her enthusiastically.

" _I am about to combust with how cute this is,"_ Yellow told Ed seriously, even as she all but cooed as she watched Allura thank Elysia for her words and in turn assured her that she considered Elysia a friend as well.

"It is a bit cavity-inducing, isn't it?" Ed asked her as he watched the scene, no small amount of relief felt at how well Allura seemed to be getting along with Elysia and Hawkeye and they, her. Not that Ed had been truly worried about it but he knew that Allura had the same amount of experience with little kids that the Lions did and he had been afraid that that would show through in Allura's interactions with Elysia. However, it seemed his fears were completely unfounded and he couldn't be happier about it.

" _It's adorable,"_ Yellow corrected him, causing Ed to huff out some laughter at her.

"Hey, Allura?" Lance's voice caught the attention of most everyone and Allura straightened from her crouch after squeezing Elysia's hand once more so she could face her Blue Paladin and looked at him questioningly. "What's in the bag?" he asked, gesturing to the small rug sack still hanging over Allura's shoulder.

Allura looked at in mild surprise, as though she'd forgotten it was there before she answered Lance. "Well, since I knew I would be here for at least two nights, I packed accordingly. I also brought General Mustang's and Edward's clothing that they left on the Castle-Ship," she told them.

Ed blinked a couple of times at that. He'd completely forgotten that when Truth had collected him and Mustang after Haggar and Zarkon had been dealt with that they'd been in their borrowed clothing, which meant one of Mustang's military uniforms and Ed's unofficial uniforms had been left behind. "Thanks, Miss Allura," Ed said, happy that the next time he destroyed his red jacket beyond repair even with alchemic means, he wouldn't have to replace it.

"You're welcome, Edward," Allura said, giving him a pleasant smile. "Now, I do hate to move this conversation from catching up to work but I believe it would be a good idea for us to speak with your Fuhrer sooner rather than later," she said, certainly sounding apologetic about suggesting it but firm as well.

"No, it's a good idea," Shiro said immediately before anyone could try and talk Allura out of it. "We did promise Fuhrer Grumman that if Allura was feeling up to a meeting with him once she was here, we would drop by his office again," Shiro reminded Ed, who was already nodding.

"Yeah, I know," Ed told him before looking at Allura. "Are you sure you're okay to hold a meeting with him? He won't mind if you need to rest for an hour or two before we go in," Ed told her. It was evident he was worried that the energy she'd spent opening the portal, no matter how small that portal was or that she hadn't even had to hold it for long, was enough to leave her drained more than was comfortable.

"I'm alright, Edward," Allura promised him. "I'd been keeping a close eye on my levels while I was fuelling the teleduv for our return trip and this portal hasn't drained me enough that I require rest right this moment. I can sit through a meeting," she assured him.

Ed didn't look awfully convinced and Alphonse had never had to bite his tongue harder than he did in this moment at the hypocrisy his brother was showing. Instead, Al filed this moment away for the next time Ed tried to weasel his way out of resting after an injury or using too much alchemic energy so he could use it against his older brother. "Okay," Ed said, getting Al's attention back to the conversation happening, "as long as you're sure," Ed said, putting a slight questioning tone on his words and Allura nodded. This time, Ed seemed to accept her answer more readily. "Alright, we'll head to Grumman's office," Ed stated. However, before he let any of them actually move, he gave Allura an apologetic look. "I hate to ask this of you, but would you have any ideas on how we could disguise you a little bit? It's mainly your Altean markings and your ears. We've kind of implied that you and the Paladins are of the same species," he explained.

Allura looked a little upset at the mention of covering her markings and Ed knew it was because they were what mainly identified her as Altean in the first place but she nodded. "I can shape-shift my features," she revealed. "It's something all Alteans can do. I can hide my markings and change the shape of my ears," she told him.

Ed looked startled by the revelation about Allura's shape-shifting abilities but he decided to leave his questions for later. "It doesn't have to be all the time while you're in Amestris," Ed promised her. "Only when we're in public or on the base," he said.

Allura gave him a smile as she squeezed his left forearm. "Truly, Edward, it's alright. I know that this will help so that you and your Fuhrer aren't asked awkward questions and I don't mind doing this for you," she told him. "Do you wish for me to change the colour of my hair as well? I believe I've heard from one of the Paladins that white hair is highly unusual on people who look as young as I do," she said.

Ed shook his head. "Nah, the Ishvalans have hair the same colour as yours, for the most part. It won't be as unusual here as it might be on their Earth," Ed told her, gesturing to the Paladins.

Allura gave a nod. "Very well, I'll leave my hair the colour it is and just focus on hiding my marks and reshaping my ears while we're in public or on your base," she promised.

"Thank you, Miss Allura," Ed said gratefully. She just smiled back at him while waving off his thanks as unnecessary. Happy that he hadn't insulted Allura or upset her, he turned to Hawkeye. "Do you want to join us? Fuhrer Grumman will probably ask Mustang to attend this meeting and he'll definitely have asked him to be present during the meeting with the other generals," Ed told her.

"I wouldn't mind joining you all," Hawkeye said. "We'll just have to go by my apartment so I can feed Hayate and change into my uniform, if that's okay with you all?" she asked.

"I got no problems with it," Ed said immediately and there were several murmurs of agreement from the others. "So that's settled. We'll go past your apartment before we head to Central Command," Ed said with a decisive nod.

"While we're walking, I would love for all of you to regale me with the tale of what happened when the ten of you," Allura gestured to Voltron, "disappeared from our dimension," she said.

"Of course, Allura," Shiro said, chuckling when he saw Lance's excitement at being able to gossip freely with the princess, something the pair enjoyed immensely. "The Lions knew where we were…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more chapters to go until this story is done! Who's excited to see the ending because I sure am XD After this story, I'll be starting to post my sequel to 'Medic Lance' and I've started work on both a How to Train Your Dragon x Rise of the Guardians story and the drabble and what if scenarios for 'Spirit Animals' so if you enjoyed both 'Medic Lance' and 'Spirit Animals' keep an eye out for those postings.   
> Anywho, thank you to those of you who commented on the last chapter. I truly appreciate it and I hope you enjoy this chapter! See you all next week :)


	36. Chapter 36

"I knew those front gate guards snitched on me," Ed muttered when he spotted Mustang waiting in Grumman's outer office with Samantha watching him from her peripheral vision.

"Sorry, Ed," Samantha said before Mustang could say anything. The look she gave Mustang as he closed his mouth told Ed that it wasn't an accident that she'd done so. "Fuhrer Grumman asked them to alert General Mustang and pass on the order for him to be here by the time you arrived once they spotted you entering the base," she explained.

"I'd be madder if I hadn't expected something like this to happen," Ed told her, humour flickering in his eyes. "Anyways, I'd like to introduce you to Princess Allura of Altea, who arrived this morning to help her team back home," Ed said, gesturing for Allura – who'd been in between the members of Voltron and a little out of sight – forward. "Princess, this is Samantha Mercier," Ed said, introducing Samantha to Allura properly. As Allura had promised, her pink markings sitting just under the corners of her eyes were gone and her ears were shaped more like Ed's and the Paladins' were.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Samantha said, standing up from behind her desk so she could stretch her hand out over it for Allura to shake.

"The same for me," Allura said, shaking Samantha's hand before she let go of it in favour of glancing at Mustang. "It's good to see you looking so well, General Mustang. Thank you for helping Edward look after Voltron while they were stuck here," she said as she held her hand out for Mustang.

If Mustang noticed the changed to Allura's appearance, he didn't say anything as he grasped her hand. "It was much easier than I'd anticipated it would be to keep all of them in one piece, especially with Lotor on the loose and Fullmetal involved in trying to capture him," Mustang told her, eyes sparkling with amusement at the sound of Ed's annoyed snarl.

"Yes, I too was surprised at the report I was given," Allura said as Mustang released her hand. "Truthfully, I'd thought that Lotor would've proven much more challenging than he had and that I'd be getting reports of injury upon injury in regard to everyone involved in the apprehension of the war criminal," Allura admitted. "To hear that the worst injury was a bruise or two was a massive relief," she told them.

"Well, we were certainly happy that none of them needed a medical file open on them and that Fullmetal hadn't needed his added to," Mustang told her.

"They probably would've needed to start a new file if I had been hospitalised," Ed said casually. "I'm pretty sure I heard one of the nurses say that to Doc Evans when I left the hospital last time," he added.

Though it was clear a few people wanted to, no one made any sort of response to that comment, other than an unsurprised sigh or frown of concern. Mustang decided that – if he was reading his captain's warning look correctly – a change of subject was needed. "I heard you were looking after Elysia today. Where is she?" he asked, choosing a safer subject to switch to.

"Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Fuery have all promised to keep an eye on her. She's in your office with my tablet right now," Ed told him and Mustang nodded even as he mentally went over how he'd left his office and fervently hoped that he'd left nothing out in Elysia's reach that he wouldn't want her reading or touching. "She's already promised not to touch anything," Ed said, easing Mustang's obvious worry.

Mustang gave a small sigh. "That's good to know," he admitted. "I don't think I would've wanted to explain to Gracia how her daughter got a hold of confidential files," he said with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I absolutely would've thrown you to the wolves if that happened," Ed divulged without any shame or obvious guilt. Mustang couldn't even pretend to be offended since he probably would've done the same had their roles been reversed in this hypothetical scenario. There was a lot he would've protected Ed from, even if it meant he took the brunt of whatever was thrown at the blonde but an angry and protective Gracia was not one of those things.

Samantha seemed a little thrown by the conversation, as did Allura, but the secretary decided it was probably time for this conversation to come to a close before they wasted more of Grumman's valuable and rare free time. "His Excellency instructed me to let you through as soon as all of you were present," Samantha said, getting their attention. "I'll show you through now, if that's alright with you?" she asked but all of them knew they really weren't being given a choice. They'd go into Grumman's inner office now or not at all.

"Of course. Thank you, Samantha," Mustang said, his professional mask immediately back in place as he straightened his military jacket slightly.

Samantha didn't say anything in response as she rounded her desk but she did nod to acknowledge she had heard him. Three short, sharp raps of her knuckles against the wood of the inner office doors had Grumman's muffled permission to enter sound and Samantha opened the doors. "General Mustang, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, and the others are here to see you, Sir," Samantha said as she stood to the side to allow them to walk into the office without running her over.

"Thank you, Samantha," Grumman said as he rose from his seat, eyes on the one person in the room he didn't know: Allura. "You may return to your duties," he told her in a clear but polite dismissal as he waved off the salutes he'd gotten from the soldiers in the group in front of him.

Samantha nodded before she turned on her heel and pulled the door shut behind her as she headed back for her desk. Ed heard the soft click that told them that the door was firmly closed before he heard Mustang take charge with the introductions. "Fuhrer Grumman, this is Princess Allura of Altea, the leader of Voltron's home country," Mustang said before his attention flicked to Allura. "Princess Allura, this is Fuhrer Grumman, Amestris' leader," Mustang said, finishing with the quick introductions.

"It is an honour to meet you, Fuhrer Grumman. Please accept my sincerest gratitude for everything you've done for my team while they've been in your country's care and please accept my sincerest apologies for anything Lotor did while he was here after he managed to escape our custody," Allura said immediately. "If Lotor or my team have damaged anything during their time here and you would like for us to pay for it, please let us discuss how Altea may repay you," Allura said.

"It is an honour to meet you as well, Princess Allura," Grumman said as he gestured for her to take one of the seats in front of his desk, which she did. Mustang – after a silent discussion with Shiro – took the other while Grumman took his own seat. "It was our pleasure to host Voltron and to aid them in capturing the escaped criminal, Lotor. Though your gratitude is appreciated, it is unnecessary as we only did what I would hope any other country would do for any of our citizens if they had wound up on their land unexpectedly and with no sure way home. As for damages, there were none of any significance," Grumman told her. "In fact, we owe Voltron and Lotor a debt for exposing the true characters of two generals whose loyalty to Amestris was already in question," Grumman divulged. "Making sure they were comfortable and didn't have anything other than figuring out a way home during their time here was the least we could do."

"I am please to hear that they were able to assist your country in exposing those generals and that they didn't cause any significant damage," Allura said, certainly looking relieved and Ed wondered if that was how Mustang felt whenever he got the rare reports of him post-mission that said he hadn't caused any damage during his time in the area. "Now, everyone was able to bring me up to speed during our journey into Central after I arrived," Allura told Grumman, "and Edward told me that it was suggested that I instruct Pidge to gift your country some blueprints as repayment for allowing them the freedom and assistance they needed to hunt Lotor down. Is this something you think would be enough to placate your generals or do you believe they would need something more?" she asked him, getting straight to the point.

Grumman considered her question. "I believe that it should be enough for the moment," Grumman eventually told her. "Though we have to come up with some sort of system so that you can send us requests if anyone should want to visit Amestris again in the future. That way, the generals' worries about you opening portals whenever you wanted may be soothed a little more," Grumman reasoned.

Allura frowned slightly. "Do you plan on making Edward's tablet known to the public? Or even just those in the military?" she asked.

Grumman's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he glanced at Mustang and Ed. "We hadn't discussed that possibility. To be honest, I don't think any of us had even considered it," he admitted. "What are your opinions?" he asked the two alchemists.

Ed hesitated for a moment as he thought it over. "I don't like that idea," Ed admitted. "Our scientists will want to look it over and take it apart to see how it works and to make sure it's not going to be used against us or whatever other stupid thought gets in their minds over it and they'll accidentally destroy it," Ed said, feeling a little bit silly about how protective he was feeling over his tablet.

"I could order them to leave it alone," Grumman offered kindly.

"I appreciate that but you know as well as I do that if someone really wanted to get their hands on it, your orders won't stop them," Ed pointed out. "I don't want to risk someone that eager to get a hold of it trying to do so while Miss Gracia and Elysia are home by themselves," he added.

Grumman nodded once before he turned back to Allura. "No, we won't be making anyone who doesn't already know of the tablet aware of its existence," Grumman told her and Ed gave a small sigh of relief.

Allura didn't look surprised by the answer. "In that case, my suggestion of sending our requests to it is no longer a viable option," she said. "Using the portal to send notes through also isn't an option. For one, I can't pinpoint where the portal would open when the Lions aren't on this side of it. That's the only reason the portal opened where it did and on ground level when I arrived," she explained. "The other reason the portal is out is because it requires too much energy from me and from the material we had to get for it. With how rare that material was and how protective the natives of the planet the material is from was of it, I would prefer to only use the portal when necessary," Allura said firmly.

"I understand," Grumman said with a quick but kind smile. "I would suggest that we use Edward as a messenger of sorts but we've kept the Lions' telepathic abilities quiet and I would much rather keep that under wraps, if only so we don't end up having the same problems we'd face with Edward's tablet being known," Grumman said.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate not being kidnapped and studied for mine and the Lions' bonds," Ed said casually. "I've managed to break my record of time between kidnappings – alchemic gods who are also massive dicks notwithstanding – and I'd really like to not have to restart that clock," he added.

" _We would come to your rescue if that happened,"_ Black said immediately.

" _And we'd take care of whoever was left after you were done with them,"_ Red added, sounding almost keen for the prospect.

"That is very sweet of you," Ed told them.

"You know we'd come and help them take on anyone who was left able to move after you'd had your turn as well, right?" Lance asked, telling Ed that the Lions had told their humans what the conversation was about.

"Of course I do and I would do the same for you lot as well," Ed told them, earning himself five grins and accompanying nudges to the shoulder or hands ruffling his hair.

Grumman gave them an indulgent smile that lasted a couple of moments before he continued speaking as though there hadn't been an interruption. "What kind of blueprints do you plan on gifting Amestris?" he asked Pidge.

"I was going to give you guys blueprints to upgrade things like your electrical systems, rudimentary cell phone towers that could help your scientists come up with something similar to cell phones, some appliances were going to be included and a few other small things that I think would be helpful for Amestris but wouldn't be too advanced that you guys couldn't utilise them for several years but also can't be used as weapons," Pidge told him, completely honest and with no hesitation.

Grumman nodded. "So, would a rudimentary tablet be too advanced for us?" he asked her and Pidge nodded.

"Yes," she said immediately. "Tablets on our Earth weren't created for another 80 years or so from when our world and yours were technologically similar," she told him. "Truthfully, I wouldn't be giving you the cell phone towers if your radio systems weren't as good as they are since we didn't develop them until the late 70's," Pidge admitted. "You guys still need to invent computers before you get to tablets," she told him. "I'll give you some help in that area but I'm not gonna spoon-feed your scientists everything. You guys won't learn anything if you don't have to work at least a little bit for it," Pidge informed Grumman.

"I can appreciate that stance," Grumman said, dipping his head to her, "and we are thankful for whatever you're willing to share with us," he assured her, making sure she knew he wasn't going to demand that she give Amestris everything. "Though now my suggestion that we make a tablet of our own so we could communicate with you is also no longer an option," Grumman said, a touch ruefully. "Perhaps we could simply create dates where you can pay us a visit. If, for whatever reason, you cannot pay a visit on a certain date, we'll simply leave it that you explain why on the next set date? Or give us a believable version of why you couldn't make the last visit," Grumman suggested.

"That certainly is a possibility but what if a date becomes unsuitable for you?" Allura asked. "How would you contact us to let us know that a visit would not be possible?" she queried before she seemed to realise her wording. "Or, I suppose I should ask, how would you claim you contacted us?" she clarified.

Grumman seemed mildly stumped by her question. It was Hawkeye who came up with the next idea. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep the means of our communications simple," Hawkeye said. "As Voltron appeared near Ishval and I'm assuming they will go home from the same area," she said, looking at Ed and Shiro mainly, both of whom shrugged or nodded, "we could speak with a trusted ally in Ishval and see if they would be willing to act as messenger for Amestris and Altea," Hawkeye suggested.

"You're talking about asking Scar to be that messenger," Ed said, immediately catching on to Hawkeye's meaning.

The blonde captain gave him a nod before she continued. "Of course, there would be no messages for them to actually pass on but perhaps Edward could ask Scar to act as our messenger. Scar wouldn't have to do anything since Edward would be the one to speak with the Lions or someone on the Castle-Ship directly but they could claim that they passed along the message in one of their letters to each other," she said, explaining her idea further. "The only thing that we would have to figure out if we go with this idea is how Scar would receive the message from Voltron," Hawkeye said.

"I believe that's probably the best idea any of us will be able to come up with," Grumman said, looking at Allura for her opinion.

"I agree," Allura said promptly. "As for the last bit needing puzzling out, may I suggest that we ask Mr. Scar to act as though I've requested that he keeps how he receives messages from me a secret?" she asked.

"I'm not sure that would be the best path to take," Grumman said, sounding mildly apologetic for doing so. "Amestris and Ishval have only been getting along as well as we are for a year. I'm afraid that if we said that you were asking an Ishvalan citizen to keep a secret from us, it would sour not only our relationship with you but with Ishval as well," Grumman explained. Allura looked disappointed but didn't push the idea.

After a couple of seconds, Mustang seemed to almost jolt with an idea. "We could say that Scar and an Altean messenger use a drop system to communicate," Mustang said. "It's something I know Investigations does with some of their confidential informants," he told them. "We could ask Scar to set up an area on the border of Ishval on the other side of the Great Eastern Desert and to travel out every month or fortnight or however long. Fullmetal could offer to go with him when he sets this area up so it can be alchemically trapped, ensuring no one would be able to sneak onto it and discover the ruse," Mustang continued. "If someone tries to confront Scar on his way back from a visit, we could ask him to claim that there was no note or that he'd destroyed it so no one else could read it," Mustang suggested.

"I mean, it's not a completely stupid idea," Ed said, earning himself a glare from Mustang and several amused huffs or grins from those around them. "However, this whole idea rests on Scar being willing to do this," Ed pointed out.

"Do you think there's a chance he wouldn't?" Grumman asked and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"He's one of the Elders," Ed told him. "He might not be able to act as a messenger for us, legitimate or not," Ed pointed out. "Plus, he might not do it if there's a chance that Ishval could be attacked by someone who wants information on Altea or Voltron," he added.

"I'll speak with Scar," Grumman said. "If he's not comfortable with what we'll be asking him to do, we'll figure something else out," Grumman promised. "Even if that means that once a month, I ask you, Edward, or someone from your team, General Mustang, to head out to Ishval to check the drop location," Grumman said.

"I don't think there'd be any objections from anyone on my team to perform that duty," Mustang said, already picturing the reactions he would get by telling one of his team members that they'd be spending three days doing nothing more than travelling to Ishval, pretend to check a drop point, then travel back to Amestris.

"Probably not," Ed snickered. The only complaints he figured the team would give would be the heat and the constant travelling.

Allura seemed bemused with Ed's amusement but she didn't comment on it. "I believe that means that we now have a plan in place for communications between us and Amestris," she said and Grumman nodded.

"That we do," Grumman confirmed. "Now, since that is sorted, there is another something else I need to tell you all. Mrs. Hughes will actually have a message on her answering machine from Samantha regarding this," Grumman told Ed and Al.

"You already managed to corral the generals into agreeing to a meeting?" Ed couldn't help but ask. He couldn't help his shock either and he didn't bother to hide it.

Grumman didn't look bothered by the interruption but Al did hiss out Ed's name in a reprimanding tone. "Yes," Grumman said with a nod. "I have managed to set up a meeting with all of the generals who were present during our first official meeting with Voltron, minus Combes and Widdon, of course," Grumman said and Ed knew he didn't imagine the slightly satisfied glint in Grumman's eyes when he mentioned that, "as well as Lieutenant-General Armstrong and two other generals who are in Central from our sister cities for military business."

At that, Ed's brows shot up in surprise and he knew he wasn't the only one. "I thought General Armstrong would've gotten out of Central the moment she could've," Ed said, slightly stunned.

"I believe her parents managed to persuade her into staying with them for the weekend before she leaves for Fort Briggs on the first train available Monday rather than leaving yesterday," Grumman divulged. "I believe that she agreed to attend the meeting because she's curious about you, Princess Allura, and how you arrived in Central," Grumman said. "Which reminds me," he looked at all of them, "if anyone asks, Princess Allura arrived in Amestris shortly before your visit this morning," he nodded to Edward, Alphonse, and Voltron, "and that you asked me to arrange this meeting for this afternoon at Princess Allura's request. The reason that we didn't see her this morning is because there were some unforeseen effects of her travelling via portal and she was recovering," he instructed.

"Sure thing," Ed agreed easily and soon enough, Grumman had gotten verbal or visible confirmation from all of those he'd been speaking to. "So what time is this meeting?" Ed asked, mainly curious to see if they would have time to get Elysia from Mustang's office and go for lunch before they were subjected to a meeting between eight generals, including Mustang, and Grumman that might go for hours.

"I've arranged it to take place in the conference room attached to my offices and for it to start at 2:00pm this afternoon," Grumman told him.

Ed glanced at the clock on Grumman's desk and noted it was nearly 11:00am, which meant they would have plenty of time to pick Elysia up and get some lunch. And since Gracia would be finishing work at 12:30pm, they would also be able to drop Elysia home and not have to worry about where she could stay and who would look after her while the meeting was taking place. "Cool," Ed said. "So, we're good to go and come back in time for the meeting?" Ed asked, looking at Grumman and Mustang, though the glance at Mustang was a silent dare to make up an excuse and push his lunch plans aside.

"Yes, I believe you are," Grumman said with a nod.

Mustang didn't say anything so Ed talk that as permission to get ready to leave. "In that case, we'll see you this afternoon," Ed said. His words seemed to be what the others were subconsciously waiting for to get ready to leave as both Mustang and Allura stood from their chairs.

Grumman was quick to stand as well. "Before you leave, Princess Allura," Grumman said, staying anything Allura was about to say, "there is the matter of where you'll stay while you're in Amestris," he told her. "There are a couple of options available. I can arrange for you to stay in a suite at one of the hotels in town with a guard assigned to your room or you can stay in one of the guest rooms typically reserved for visiting family members in the Fuhrer's mansion. The only other occupants are myself and my wife as Voltron has been staying in either Mrs. Hughes' home or General Mustang's," Grumman explained.

"Can't I stay in one of their homes?" Allura asked, clearly confused as to why they weren't an option.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe either of them have any spare room left," Grumman said, sounding apologetic.

"Green and I can sleep in the lounge room with Keith, Red, Hunk and Yellow. Allura can take Mustang's spare room," Pidge immediately offered, looking between Allura, Grumman, and Mustang.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Allura asked, unwilling to ask one of her Paladins to give up their bed just for her.

"Yeah, it's only gonna be for two nights and it's not like we've never slept in worse conditions for longer before," Pidge told her, dismissing Allura's concerns.

"So long as you're sure," Allura pushed and both Pidge and Green nodded. Satisfied, Allura turned to Grumman. "In that case, I thank you for your generous offers but I will accept Pidge's," she told him.

Grumman inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Very well," Grumman said. "That was the only thing I believe I needed to speak with you about before the meeting this afternoon," Grumman told her before he addressed the rest of the group. "I will see you all before 2:00pm, if possible," he told them and got nods to acknowledge they'd heard him. "Enjoy the few hours in between now and then," he said, obviously dismissing them.

"See you then, Sir," Ed said, offering Grumman a salute alongside Mustang and Hawkeye.

Grumman dismissed the salutes just as Alphonse opened the door so everyone could start heading out, which they did. Ed and Al gave Grumman a wave as the pair left the office, leaving the Fuhrer alone with his paperwork and the meeting to look forward to. Samantha was on the phone as they all headed for the outer office doors so Ed, Al, and the others settled for giving her a silent wave of goodbye, that she happily returned before they left the offices entirely.

"What are your plans now?" Mustang asked Ed once the group started heading down the corridor and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"Assuming everyone's all good with it," Ed glanced at Allura, Alphonse, and Voltron, "I figured we'd pick up Elysia and head to lunch. Miss Gracia will finish work and should be home by 1:00pm so we'll also duck by her apartment to drop Elysia off so she's not bored while we're in the meeting," Ed told him.

Mustang gave a nod at his words. "What about you, Captain Hawkeye?" he asked his second.

"I have a few errands I'd planned on getting done today since it's my day off," Hawkeye reminded him. "I'll be completing those before I report back to the base in time for the meeting, so long as you wish for me to attend it," she told him.

"Yes, I think it would be beneficial for you to attend the meeting," Mustang said almost immediately and Ed couldn't judge him. Hawkeye was someone you really wanted at your back when you were meeting with the generals, especially when that meeting was pulled together without much warning, as Ed had discovered the one and only time he'd attended such a meeting.

"Very well," Hawkeye said. "I'll make sure that I'm back on base in time for it," she promised him as they continued down the path that would lead them to Mustang's offices.

Ed's and everyone else's attention was grabbed when Allura let out a startled gasp and suddenly pulled her shoulder bag around to her front. At Mustang's curious and questioning look, Ed could only offer a shrug of his shoulders as they watched the princess dig through her bag. "When I was packing for this trip," Allura said, hand busy pushing things aside in the bag, "Coran brought up how Edward and Lance had asked him about finding you some waterproof cloth that could also create a spark or something similar to it for you to use for your flame alchemy gloves. Coran told me that he hadn't had the chance to check the fabric room for anything that would work since we received word of Zarkon and Haggar's locations that afternoon and he was busy either with the Castle-Ship or the rescued prisoners until you ended leaving," she explained before she let out a victorious noise and produced three lots of fabric. "We couldn't make you your gloves since we didn't have your hand measurements and we're not entirely sure if these two fabrics will work," Allura told Mustang, lifting the two cuts of seemingly identical fabric that sat on top of the pile, "but the third one is what Ed's gloves are made out of and we know you were successfully able to bond your incendiary mixture to it so we thought it would be a good idea to include it in case the other two weren't able to be used," she told him, handing the fabric over to the slightly stunned general.

"Thank you, Princess Allura," Mustang said as he accepted the fabrics. "I really appreciate your gift," he told her, bowing slightly to show his gratitude.

"You're welcome, General Mustang," Allura said with a smile, obviously pleased her gift had been well-received. "I trust you'll put those fabrics to good use," she said before deeming the conversation done and turning to Ed to ask the question that she'd been wanting to ask since she'd heard his plans for the next few hours. "Where are we going to eat? I'd love to hear about the kinds of Earth food I'll be trying!"

Mustang couldn't hold back his amused smirk when Ed's eyes immediately lit up at her question and the realisation that Allura had never eaten anything from Earth and therefore needed to be introduced to everything he could possibly introduce her to. Mustang was positive he wasn't the only one who chuckled when Ed immediately and enthusiastically started explaining all of the restaurants he personally enjoyed eating in detail to the enraptured Altean princess.

* * *

"It seems we're starting to make impromptu meetings amongst the high-ranking officials a habit," Grumman said as he joined the eight generals, Ed, Al, Allura, and Voltron in the conference room attached to his offices. There were a few chuckles and amused smiles from those in the room. "Thank you all for rearranging your schedules so you could attend this meeting," Grumman said gratefully as he sat down in the chair he usually occupied when in this room. "Major-General Muller, Brigadier-General Deacon, thank you for putting your travel plans back to your respective cities on hold to attend this meeting," Grumman said, nodding to the two male generals that Ed had recognised but hadn't known the names of.

"Of course, Fuhrer Grumman. You said this matter was important," General Muller said from Grumman's right.

"It is," Grumman confirmed. "I'm sure all of you have noticed that there is someone who is a stranger to most of you within this room," Grumman said, nodding to Allura, who was sitting primly in between Ed and Shiro. From the fact that no one was surprised to see her there, Ed could safely assume all the generals had noticed her. General Armstrong had spotted her immediately upon entering the room and a flash of recognition had passed through her eyes before a silent threat had been levelled at Ed, informing him that they would be speaking in private sooner rather than later. "This is Princess Allura of Altea. She is the leader of the country Voltron belongs to and she arrived in Amestris earlier this morning to escort her team home," Grumman told them.

The moment Grumman mentioned that Allura was Voltron's leader, every general gave some sign that both the Fuhrer and the princess had their undivided attention. "Forgive me if this sounds blunt but how is she here?" Sayer asked, eyes flicking suspiciously to Allura. "From what I gathered from Voltron when we first met, they had no clue Amestris even existed and their arrival into our country was completely unplanned. I certainly haven't heard anything about Voltron being able to contact their country, let alone their leader, so how is it that she is here?" Sayer queried.

Grumman nodded at her question. "That was one of the first things I asked her myself when we met earlier this morning," Grumman said. "I believe it would be best if she answered your question though," he told her before looking at Allura, effectively handing the reins over to her.

Allura didn't hesitate to take over the conversation. "When I received word that Voltron had disappeared alongside Lotor in a flash of brilliant light, I immediately started searching for answers to the questions of what happened and where my team was," Allura told them. "After some searching, my advisor was the one to discover that Lotor had been dabbling in the use of quintessence for a few months before I sent Voltron after him." It had taken some time to get Allura used to the phrases Amestris used for their time markers, like days, months, seconds, etc. but it seemed that all that work had paid off. "Once we realised that Lotor had been using quintessence and that something had likely gone wrong when he tried to use it, I ordered a search for trustworthy and competent quintessence users to be found to see if they could assist us in our search," she explained.

"It took you nearly three weeks to find a quintessence user?" Ward asked, her disbelief evident.

Allura didn't look offended by Ward's tone. "No, we found one within a few days," she told her. "It took us nearly three weeks to figure out a way to find my missing team and devise a plan to bring them home," she informed them.

"If the plan was to bring them home, why are you here?" Deacon asked, dark eyes narrowing as he looked at the foreign princess.

Ed felt his metaphorical hackles rise and he could feel the Lions' react the same way but Allura seemed oblivious to the general's tone and behaviour. "The quintessence user we found has only been practising her art for a year," Allura told them. "Because of this, she needed time to try and figure out what exactly Lotor had done. It took her nearly four days to do so and once she had, her focus then turned to whether she would be able to use quintessence to find Lotor or Voltron and, if so, how she would use it to find them," Allura explained. "At the two-week mark, our quintessence user concluded that Lotor had been trying to teleport himself away from Voltron but had used too much quintessence, lost control of the spell and accidentally brought himself and Voltron to your country. Armed with this knowledge, she started devising spells that would use Voltron's individual quintessence to track them –"

"I apologise for interrupting," Brathwaite said. Allura didn't seem phased and nodded for him to continue. "When Voltron first arrived in Central, they told us that they had no knowledge of quintessence. They'd never heard of it before and they claimed they couldn't use it," Brathwaite said. "How could your quintessence user use Voltron's quintessence if they don't have any?" he asked, finally getting to the point.

"Oh, I understand your confusion and I apologise for not clearing this up earlier," Allura said. "As explained to me by my quintessence user, quintessence is the energy held within every living thing," Allura told them. "It is everywhere and in everything that is alive, be it us," she gestured to everyone in the room, "animals, or even plant life," she explained. "This means that everyone contains quintessence and can be identified by it as their signature is unique to them," Allura said. "Anyone competent in the art of quintessence usage can utilise that fact to track anyone with their quintessence, much like a dog can track a scent left by someone," Allura told them.

"I understand now. Thank you for explaining that," Brathwaite said.

"You're welcome," Allura told him, giving him a polite smile. "Even once we knew how to find them, once we did, the biggest problem was then the fact that we had no idea where exactly Voltron was. We'd never heard of Amestris before so we didn't know what we were dealing with," Allura said. "We knew, thanks to how strong their quintessence was, that they were likely safe and healthy, which helped assuage our fears around their well-being," Allura said, "but that didn't guarantee us that your country knew they were in Amestris," Allura added. "For all we knew, they'd recaptured Lotor but were in hiding so they wouldn't be caught by your country," she told them.

"What made you realise they weren't?" Muller asked curiously.

"Two things," Allura said. "The first was that their quintessence never faded in the way that would tell us they were under more stress than we would deem acceptable, which told us that they weren't growing anxious with each day that passed that they were going to be caught," Allura told them. "The second was that our quintessence user could sense their quintessence…" Allura trailed off thoughtfully for a moment, "interacting – for lack of a better word – with quintessences they didn't know. Normally," she said before anyone could interrupt her to ask what she meant, "our quintessence user would never be able to pick on the quintessence of someone she can't even see, let alone has never met, however because of the amount of time Voltron has spent with certain people in Amestris, she believes that their quintessence was starting to seep into those people, much like how your scent would linger on a person who you spend a lot of time with," Allura said, explaining the phenomenon that she was making up on the spot as best she could. "This told us that they were around strangers and weren't giving our quintessence user any reason to believe she was sensing distress within them which had us believe that we would be safe to try and get them back home," Allura told them.

The generals – minus Mustang and Armstrong – were all looking rather amazed by what Allura was saying. However, that didn't mean that they were suddenly no longer wary of her. "Okay, so quintessence helped you get some idea of where your citizens were and what kind of shape they were in," Coleman said. "Why didn't you take them home straight away? Why did you come here? For that matter, how did you arrive? I don't believe that question has been answered yet," Coleman said.

"For one, I wished to thank those who had taken my team in and treated them so well in person," Allura told him. "Another reason I didn't just take them home straight away is because I didn't know if everything had been dealt with or whether it would cause some kind of panic or insult," she continued. "As for how I arrived here, my quintessence user was able to recreate the spell Lotor had accidentally use," she told them. "She waited for a time where Voltron was all together before she used their quintessence as something of a guiding beacon to open a portal that let me arrive in your country from Altea almost instantaneously," Allura revealed.

"You can open a portal and send someone through it without warning?" Armstrong asked. It was apparent to Ed that even though she knew the true story behind Voltron and everything else that the other generals – Mustang excepted – didn't know, it didn't mean she wasn't suspicious of them or what they could do. The knowledge that Allura had arrived via portal, something that no known Amestrian could do, had triggered Armstrong's suspicions and put them into high gear. "What's to stop your country from sending through armies into the heart of Amestris and try to take our country by force?" she asked, eyes flashing dangerously.

To her credit, Allura didn't look offended or even affected by Armstrong's blunt accusations. "I understand why that would be a fear to you and your country," Allura said, "and I understand that your worries and fears won't completely disappear no matter what I say or promise to you today. I cannot guarantee that every citizen belonging to my country will abide by my laws just as you and your leader cannot promise me the same if Altea's location was ever discovered in relation to Amestris. However what I can guarantee you is that I had no intentions of ever using our portal spells for nefarious purposes and I certainly haven't developed any after speaking with Fuhrer Grumman this morning," she told them. "The war between Lotor's people and mine has cost both sides heavily and I am in no rush to put my people through a second war and especially not when we haven't managed to win our current war," Allura informed Armstrong, speaking directly to her.

"Princess Allura and I have already discussed the possibility of a trade agreement between our countries," Grumman said, interjecting himself into the conversation. "The subject was broached when Princess Allura offered to repay us for housing Voltron during their stay. She has agreed to provide Amestris with the plans to several items that would help advance us technologically," Grumman revealed. "I have accepted her offered repayment but we are still yet to speak at length about the details of a trade agreement since I require your support for one to be implemented," he told them.

"Does part of that trade agreement include details of the weapons Voltron used during their stay here?" Muller asked.

Grumman shook his head. "No, Princess Allura has made it clear that she will not be sharing any plans for their weaponry at this time," he told them.

"How can we be expected to trust them if they won't share how their weapons are made?" Deacon asked.

"How can we trust you not to turn our weapons against us?" Allura countered smoothly. "You speak of being uncertain about how you can trust us because we are able to use portals in a way you do not understand and in the same argument, you ask us for the plans to our most advanced weapons? What guarantee would you be able to give us that would assure my people that we will not find ourselves in a second war but facing enemies who we have armed?" she asked. Even though Ed knew that none of this would happen since Allura wasn't in charge of a country or anyone other than Voltron and Coran, he still found himself almost panicking over the possibility of a war being declared right in this room.

Deacon didn't look cowed but he did incline his head, conceding to Allura's point. Grumman decided to step in to avoid the meeting heading in a direction he didn't want it to. "At this time, we have agreed that the sharing of any weaponry plans or other items of a similar nature will not happen," he told the generals. "Amestris will not be providing any information on alchemy or how it can be used nor will we be revealing anything about any of our own weapons or battle scenario plans to Altea and they will be withholding the same information – or their equivalent of it," Grumman said firmly. His words seemed to be enough to have the generals calm down and start believing that this would be a trade agreement that was beneficial to both sides, as well as equivalent.

"Am I correct in my assumption that this would mean that we should expect diplomatic visits from Altea?" Brathwaite asked.

"Yes, it is something that has been discussed," Grumman said while Allura nodded. "Princess Allura has agreed to ask her quintessence user to open a portal to permit a visitor or two easy entrance to Amestris. As Altea is still at war, even if it is starting to come to an end, Amestris will not be permitting anyone to visit Altea to lessen their chances of being caught up in any fighting they don't need to be part of," Grumman told the generals. "Once Altea is at peace, Princess Allura and I will revisit the terms around diplomatic visitations and revise them, if we believe we need to," he said.

"How often will these visits be?" Sayer asked.

"To start with, I believe once every three months should be satisfactory," Allura told her, Grumman nodding alongside her words. "In a year or two's time, we will discuss whether the visits need to be increased, decreased or to stay at the same frequency they are."

"Who will you have acting as your diplomatic representative?" Coleman asked curiously.

"At this time, I believe it would be best if the teams of Voltron take it in turns to act as our diplomatic representatives," Allura told him. "They are familiar with Amestris and you are familiar with them. They seem to get along with most those they've met here and they understand your customs and culture more than I or any other citizen of Altea do," she rationalised.

"That does seem to be the wisest course of action," Coleman said with a nod.

"How do you intend on getting back to Altea?" Armstrong asked, eyes still suspicious.

"The same way I arrived here," Allura answered promptly. "My quintessence user has said that she will require two days to recover her energy. That is when we plan to leave," she told her.

"How will you be able to speak with your quintessence user to ensure she doesn't open a portal at an inconvenient time or in an inconvenient place?" Armstrong asked, apparently pushing Allura to show that she and her country were trustworthy.

"I will press the button on this device twice," Allura said, holding up her left wrist to show the black item strapped to it like a wrist-watch, "which will use my quintessence to send a signal to our quintessence user and let her know that I am waiting for her to open a portal, which she will do so moments after I've sent the signal," Allura explained. "I have no intentions of having a portal open up on your main street and having some of your citizens accidentally walk through it," she told them, her lips curling up slightly in an amused smirk.

"We appreciate that," Grumman said, eyes twinkling slightly. "Princess Allura has already agreed to meet with me at some stage tomorrow so we can go through and fine-tune a trade agreement between our countries. I would like for those of you who wish to go over the finalised trade agreement and are still in Central to pay my office a visit tomorrow afternoon so that there is still time for Princess Allura and I to talk about any suggestions you may have," Grumman instructed. Once he'd received the nods from the generals, he continued. "For now, I would like to open this meeting up to everyone. Please, if you have a suggestion for the trade agreement or any questions or concerns regarding this meeting's topics, feel free to speak up," Grumman said invitingly.

Ed barely managed to internalise his groan when he saw every single general – including Mustang and Armstrong – lean forward, ready to speak. He could fee the amusement from the Lions and somehow managed to not give into the urge to glare at them. "We'll see how amused you are after hour two of this meeting," Ed muttered to them through their bonds. As though he could sense Ed's annoyance, Mustang smirked at him and Ed managed to flip him off subtly.

" _I'm sure we'll be owing you an apology by that time but for now, let us enjoy our amusement at your expense,"_ Black said, letting out a bark of laughter that her sisters joined in on when Ed flipped them off in response.

* * *

"Okay, here's our mission," Ed said, tone serious as he faced Gracia, Elysia, and Alphonse. They'd managed to convince Voltron and Allura to hang with Mustang and his team at Central Command while the four of them headed into town. It had been surprisingly easy to do so since it afforded Allura and Grumman the opportunity to fine-tune the diplomatic agreement that had been reached during the meeting the previous afternoon between Amestris and Altea. "We are going to split up and search for things to send home with Voltron and Princess Allura for them, Coran, Doctor Holt and Matthew to use or enjoy," he told them, almost grinning at how serious Elysia looked at her mission. "Miss Gracia, Elysia, make sure you keep your receipts so that you can be paid back for whatever you buy," Ed reminded them.

"What sorts of things should buy them, big brother?" Elysia asked before Gracia could say anything.

"Whatever you think they'll like," Ed told her. "If you've heard them say something about things they like or miss and you can see them, ask your mother to buy them, okay?"

"Okay, big brother," Elysia said, looking determined to complete her mission.

"We'll focus on buying them practical things like coffee, spices, plants or seeds, things like that," Ed told Gracia, who nodded, even if she did look confused about the plants and seeds. "So Pidge can grow them and have them to practise with," Ed explained and saw Gracia's confusion clear.

"Okay," Gracia said as she gripped Elysia's hand. "Should we meet somewhere in a set amount of time or just shop until we think we've got enough and head home?" she asked.

Ed considered it for a moment before he looked at Alphonse for help. With the BAU, it had taken a few hours but they'd all been with them and they'd gone out for dinner as well. Al seemed mildly stumped as well but eventually came to a decision. "I think it's probably better if we shop until we think we've bought them enough things and head back to yours," Al said, nodding to Gracia.

The elder Hughes gave a nod. "Alright," she said. "We'll see you at home in a couple of hours or so," she told them. "Keep yourselves out of trouble," Gracia said, eyes twinkling when Ed rolled his eyes.

"You too," Ed told her before looking at Elysia. "Behave for your mother, okay?" he told her.

"Okay, big brother!" Elysia agreed happily. "See you both at home!"

"We'll see you there," Al said while Ed ruffled Elysia's hair.

The boys watched the Hughes family head towards the closest shop, ready to carry out their mission before they headed in the opposite direction. "What do you think we should get first?" Ed asked Al as they crossed the street.

"Well," Al said, humming thoughtfully. "I think we should start by getting…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second last chapter y'all! I hope you guys enjoy this one and I would very much love to hear your thoughts on it and the story so far! See you next week!


	37. Chapter 37

"I cannot believe this is going to be your last night in Amestris for a while," Havoc said, voice full of disbelief as he glanced at Voltron and Allura. "I also can't believe you're not able to be here for the Chief's 18th," he sighed, earning himself an eyeroll from Ed.

"It's not like anything exciting is going to happen for my birthday anyway," Ed reminded him. "We're literally gonna be going out for dinner and _nothing more_ ," Ed said firmly, eyes flicking to the male members of Mustang's main team so he knew they understood him.

"Sure, Chief," Havoc said, voice light and teasing. The glare Ed levelled him with had most everyone chuckling while Havoc just grinned at Ed innocently.

"Do they really have to leave tomorrow? I don't want them to!" Elysia pouted from where she sat against Yellow, who was sprawled with her sisters on Mustang's back lawn.

" _We really don't,"_ Yellow said, looking at Elysia with a gaze that told everyone that she would do anything to make sure Elysia wouldn't be sad.

"You have to go home," Ed said, making sure to speak through their bond so Elysia wouldn't know that there was someone on her side and make this process worse. Hunk – though obviously amused – was definitely leaving this up to Ed to deal with. "You have an entire universe who needs you to help defend it and you kinda shouldn't abandon it for a six-year-old," Ed scolded her before facing Elysia, who was still pouting. "You know they have to go home," he said firmly.

"I know," Elysia said, her bottom lip wobbling as she clutched to Yellow's paw like it was a teddy-bear, "but I don't _want_ them too!" she whined.

"El, you know they have an important job back home that they need to do," Ed said, keeping his voice level like he always did when Elysia acted this way. "They can't live here like we do and leave their families just because you don't want them to leave," he said firmly. "Besides, they're gonna come and visit us whenever they can so it's not like they're gonna be gone forever," he reminded her.

"I know, big brother," Elysia said, sighing softly. Her pout was still there but it seemed as though Ed's words and stern tone were doing exactly what he'd intended for them to do.

"Plus, you can talk to the Lions or Paladins or Allura whenever you want thanks to what Pidge did to your brother's tablet," Gracia said, giving Elysia a warm smile that only grew when Elysia immediately brightened up.

"Oh, I forgot about that!" Elysia exclaimed, turning to look at Yellow and the other Lions with unbridled delight. "I can talk to you all the time, even when you're not here!" she told them joyfully.

" _Yes, she can and I will eat anyone who tries to stop us from talking to her any time she wants to speak to us,"_ Yellow immediately threatened.

Ed laughed as Hunk repeated Yellow's words out loud and Elysia gave a delighted laugh. "Absolutely not," Gracia said firmly, putting a stop to Elysia's chattering about plans on when she'd be calling Voltron. "There will be rules in place for you using that tablet," Gracia informed Elysia, "and consequences in place for if you decide not to obey those rules. Do you understand, Elysia?" Gracia asked her, making sure to keep her 'mum' voice and look firmly in place.

"Yes, Mama," Elysia said softly.

Gracia relaxed immediately when she realised Elysia wouldn't be fighting her on this, as she is sometimes known to do when her mother becomes strict on situations like this, where Elysia was really excited. "Good. We'll talk about those rules later though, okay?" Gracia said.

"Okay, Mama," Elysia agreed, sounding much happier now that she knew she wasn't going to be lectured or scolded any further.

" _Can you please tell Gracia that I'm sorry for accidentally encouraging Elysia?"_ Yellow asked Ed, sounding a little chastised, even though she hadn't actually been included in that exchange.

Ed repeated the message dutifully to Gracia, who gave Yellow an understanding smile. "I know you were just excited about staying in contact with Elysia since you've grown so close to her but there will be rules in place for you and your team as well when it comes to contacting her," Gracia told Yellow. "I can't have you trying to call her after bedtime or when she's supposed to be getting ready for school, after all," Gracia teased, earning a groan from Elysia at the mention of bedtimes and school that had everyone chuckling.

"So we're driving the whole way to Ishval?" Shiro asked Mustang after a few moments of relaxed silence.

"Yes," Mustang confirmed. "Since General Armstrong wishes to join us so she could get a report from Major Miles before she leaves to resume her command at Fort Briggs and we need to stop in the desert so that Allura can open a portal without causing panic amongst our citizens, Captain Hawkeye and I believe it would be for the best if we didn't rely on the trains running on time once more," Mustang told him. "The fact that we managed to arrive in Resembool on time the last time we headed for Ishval was a rarity."

"He ain't even wrong," Ed said, causing the others to chuckle with his put-on annoyance. "Our luck would not hold out long enough for us to bet that we'd get into Resembool on time on the train," he added with a huff. "But at least we'll be able to split up between three cars this time," he told them, causing the Lions to look much happier about the car trip.

"So who's coming with us tomorrow?" Lance asked, attention back on the adults rather than watching Elysia play with the Lions.

"Fullmetal and I, obviously," Mustang said, "as well as General Armstrong, Alphonse, Captain Hawkeye and Lieutenant Havoc," he told him.

Lance's brows furrowed as he looked at the other members of Mustang's team, Gracia, and Elysia. "So you guys aren't coming?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Falman told him. "Even though we want to, there's no reason for the three of us to go with you guys tomorrow. Not when there'll be three alchemists, an expert swordswoman, an expert sharpshooter, and a gunman/medic to handle anything that might happen," he explained.

"Plus, the military would have to provide another car if we came and they won't do that," Breda added onto Falman's explanation.

"And Elysia and I need to be at school and work tomorrow," Gracia told Lance, a pleased smile on her face at having been included in his question. "That's why I asked Roy to let me use his kitchen to cook dinner for you all, as my way of saying goodbye since we won't be there to see you off," Gracia said.

"It was more like a skilled takeover rather than a request," Mustang said with a smirk that only grew when Gracia nodded in agreement.

"Semantics," the Hughes matriarch said with a dismissive flap of her hand. The action caused her to remember to check her watch, which she did, and she got to her feet. "Speaking of dinner, it's ready. If I could ask for a couple of volunteers, please?" she requested.

"I'll help," Al offered immediately, standing up alongside Fuery, Ed, and Lance.

"The four of you will be enough," Gracia said, gesturing for Hunk, Shiro, Hawkeye, Havoc to sit back down. "We'll be out in a few minutes," Gracia told them before gesturing for the four volunteers to follow her.

Ed, Al, Lance and Fuery immediately did as they were silently ordered and followed Gracia into the delicious smelling kitchen. Ed already knew what was for dinner and he found his mouth watering as he watched Gracia pull the two large roast pork out of Mustang's oven, alongside the large tray of roasted vegetables. Al started moving towards the stove to make the gravy Gracia had asked him to do while Ed rifled through the fridge for the apple sauce he knew Gracia had brought with her. Lance was busy helping Fuery pull plates and cutlery together, making sure they would have enough for the 21 people and Lions outside. It was only thanks to Gracia's clever thinking earlier that day to bring her own plates and cutlery with her that they wound up having enough so everyone would get a plate each.

"Alphonse, can you bring the vegetables with you when that gravy's done?" Gracia asked once she'd finished checking everything was cooked to her standards.

"Sure thing," Al said as he stirred the gravy so it would thicken but wouldn't clump.

"Edward, please take one of the roasts. I'll take the other one, so long as the two of you are okay with the plates and cutlery?" Gracia asked, her focus on Lance and Fuery and her brows furrowed in concern.

"We're good," Lance told her, arms holding onto nearly a dozen plates topped with just as many sets of knives and forks. Fuery was in a similar position but offered Gracia a nod and a smile.

Gracia didn't look too certain but she did nod. "Alright. How about you two go first?" she suggested, obviously not wanting them to be burdened for longer than necessary.

"Okay," Fuery agreed before he led the way out, Lance following dutifully behind.

Ed tucked the apple sauce jars in the crooks of his arms before he grabbed the second large roast Gracia had asked for him to carry. "There's nothing else, is there?" Ed asked before he and Gracia left the kitchen.

The eldest Hughes looked around in thought before she shook her head. "No, just what Alphonse needs to bring out," she told him.

"Will you be alright with both the tray of veggies and the boat of gravy?" Ed asked his brother, who gave him a flat look.

"I'll be perfectly fine carrying them both," Al told him before gesturing for both him and Gracia to leave. "Go and put those down before someone thinks something's happened," he ordered.

Ed rolled his eyes before he followed the amused Gracia back out to the now-set table. "Wow, Gracia!" Havoc exclaimed, eyes on the pork. "Those look amazing!"

"Thank you, Jean," Gracia said with a smile. "Alphonse is bringing the last of it out," she told them as she and Ed placed the roasts and jars of apple sauce on either end of the table.

Just as she and Ed sat back down, Al came out of the kitchen with the tray of vegetables resting on a tea towel on one hand and the other clutching the gravy boat. He placed the tray in the middle of the table and the gravy boat next to it. "There's more gravy in the kitchen if we run out," he told everyone as he took his own seat.

"Thank you, Alphonse," Gracia said before looking over to her daughter. "Elysia? It's time for dinner," she told her, getting a pout in response that did nothing to sway her. "You can keep playing with the Lions after dinner. They have to eat as well," Gracia told her.

Elysia gave a sigh of defeat before she got to her feet. "Okay, Mama," she said as she took the seat between her mother and Allura.

"Thank you cooking such a marvellous looking dinner, Gracia," Allura said as she watched Mustang and Ed carve up the roasts expertly.

"You're most welcome," Gracia said with a happy smile. "I'm just glad I had the time this afternoon to pull all of this together," she told them.

"I was wondering about that, actually," Mustang said, glancing between Ed and Gracia. "What were the four of you up to this afternoon? The Lions wouldn't tell their pilots," he asked, looking at Ed, Al, Gracia, and Elysia as everyone started helping themselves to the food in front of them. Everyone else paused in their movements to glance curiously at the four who had been spoken to.

Gracia gave Ed a clear look that told him it was up to him what he told them as she helped Elysia load up her plate. "We'll tell you about it after dinner," Ed told them before he went back to helping himself to dinner. Mustang didn't look pleased but he also knew that pushing the matter wouldn't do anything for him so he left it.

The first few minutes of dinner were silent as everyone tucked in and enjoyed the delicious food Gracia had cooked for them. When they did start talking, it was when Al asked Allura how her conversation with Grumman earlier that day went. Allura had been happy enough to talk about the details of what happened between her and Grumman and Voltron listened intently since they needed to know all the details as well. Elysia was happy enough to just focus on her eating while the adults talked about things she had no interest in.

The discussion about Allura and Grumman's talk, as well as what the Paladins and Lions had done to entertain themselves while Allura, Ed, and Al were busy, lasted for the entirety of dinner. Gracia had excused herself towards the end of it so she could put the apple pies she'd made into the oven so they could cook, since they'd only take an hour to do so. Elysia had – with her mother's permission – left the table so she could continue playing with the Lions, much to the Lions' delight. The five of them had all but stolen Elysia the moment they'd arrived at Mustang's that afternoon with Ed and Al. Gracia had been grateful since it meant Elysia wouldn't be under her feet and trying to help with cooking dinner or making the apple pies. She loved her daughter dearly but it took twice as long to cook everything with Elysia's help and she'd needed to get everything organised and ready to cook as soon as possible.

"So?" Mustang's voice caught Ed's attention just as the blonde had starting thinking about maybe taking the dirty plates and cutlery inside. Ed's raised brow told Mustang that he was gonna have to use a few more words than that. "What were you, your brother, and the Hughes' up to this afternoon?" Mustang repeated himself and Ed's expression cleared.

"Oh right," Ed said before he nudged Al and got up from the table. "We'll be back in a minute," he said before the pair left the table and headed back into Mustang's house.

Mustang just watched them leave in bemusement before he shook his head. One day he was certain he would figure the blonde pair out. He caught sight of Black looking at him, her expression filled with enough disbelief that Mustang was worried that the Lion could actually read his mind. The sound of footsteps coming back towards them caught his attention before he could stress too much about Black's potential mind-reading abilities. "Well?" he asked, a touch of impatience in his voice that had Ed giving him a flat look.

"I don't get why you're so impatient, Mustang," Ed said, shaking his head at the man. "It's not like anything we did today had something to do with you. I didn't even cause you any extra, unexplained paperwork!" he exclaimed as he and Al handed each Paladin a large overnight bag, each one matching the Lion the Paladin given it piloted before giving Allura a bag, which she looked surprised with.

"What are these?" Shiro asked as he watched Allura and his fellow Paladins look at their rather weighty bags curiously.

"Survival packs," Ed told him as he and Al sat once more. Shiro's confusion and curiousity peaked even further at those words, causing Ed to laugh at him. "You're allowed to open them," he told the five humans and Altean princess.

Ed rolled his eyes as they immediately did so, their excitement getting the Lions attention and causing them to put a pause on play time with Elysia to investigate their pilot's bag alongside their human. Lance was the first one to reach the bottom of his bag and laughed delightedly when he found the three large bags of roasted and grounded coffee beans Ed had bought for him. "Dude, you're the best!" Lance told him, grinning widely enough that Ed thought his face would split.

"I know," Ed said with a smirk.

"There's more in there!" Elysia piped up from Gracia's lap, where she was now sitting since the Lions were checking out their pilots bags themselves.

"Plant seeds?" Pidge asked, producing a couple of the small packets.

"I can't remember whether the Castle-Ship is equipped to grow them but I'm sure it'll be easy enough for you to find or build something that will," Ed told her. "Al picked the plants he thought would be easiest for you to manipulate or that would actually be a useful plant for you to use in an attack," Ed explained. "Worst comes to worse, you just have to wait until the first diplomatic visit to pick up some soil and fertiliser and whatever else you need," he said.

"Thanks, guys!" Pidge exclaimed, looking at the seeds with renewed happiness. "I think the Castle-Ship's nursery will have what we need to get these growing," she told him but looked at Allura questioningly.

The princess thought it over, pausing in her investigation of her own bag. "I believe you're correct, Pidge," she said finally. "I think the only reason Coran hasn't been able to get the greenhouse up and running as of yet is the lack of seeds to cultivate," she told her. "With those, you'll have what you need to practise your ability," she said with a smile.

"Awesome," Pidge crowed gleefully. "Now I can finally whoop all your arses in training!" she cackled merrily, gesturing wildly at her fellow pilots.

"You wish, Pidgeon," Lance taunted right back.

"Did you guys buy the whole grocery store out of spices just for me?" Hunk asked, breaking up Pidge and Lance's banter before it could really start.

Ed glanced over at the Yellow Paladin to find him taking the spice bottles out of his bag and looking at them as though they were now the most precious things in his possession. "Just about," Ed admitted with a shrug. "Though we were nice enough to ransack three grocery stores so we wouldn't completely deplete one's stock," he added.

"Thanks, man," Hunk whispered and Ed was a little worried to notice tears in the bigger teenager's eyes.

"Don't worry," Lance said, spotting Ed's worry. "He gets emotional like this sometimes," he reassured the blonde. "You're lucky I didn't burst into tears when I saw the coffee you bought me. I'm gonna have to safeguard it now," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, everyone got their own supply of coffee," Ed told him and the other Paladins proved his words right when they held up their own coffee packets, "so you should be safe," he laughed.

"Awesome. I'd hate to have to stab a teammate for trying to steal my coffee," Lance chuckled.

"What'd you get, Keith?" Shiro asked, looking over at the Red Paladin who had been silent since the bags were given to them and immediately found out the answer to his question and reason for Keith's silence. "You got him knives," Shiro said, looking at Ed, who looked pleased with himself.

"A set of half a dozen throwing knives," Ed corrected him. "They're made by one of the best weapons makers in Amestris," Ed told Keith, who just nodded.

"I can tell," Keith said as he tested the balance of one of the knives. "How'd you get him to make a set so quickly?" he asked, finally looking away from the knife.

Ed shrugged. "Actually, I ordered them weeks ago," Ed told him, earning himself several surprised looks. "I was getting them made for me but when Miss Allura turned up and I realised that you going home would coincide with when my order would be ready, I decided to give them to you and order myself a new set," he explained.

"You didn't have to do that," Keith said with a frown but Ed waved off his concerns.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I absolutely needed them as soon as they were made. I can wait a few more weeks," Ed assured him.

Keith still didn't look pleased but he nodded in acceptance and turned his attention to Shiro. "What'd you get?" he asked.

Shiro pulled out a couple of books. "How'd you know that I'm interested in history?" Shiro asked Ed, who grinned.

"I noted those were the books you usually picked on the Castle-Ship whenever we were in the library and Black confirmed my suspicions," Ed told him.

" _He's a complete history nerd,"_ Black said affectionately, earning a laugh from Ed and reprimanding glare that was ruined by his own amusement from Shiro.

"Sorry that it's only on Amestris but between us having no friendly neighbours up until a year ago, no trade agreements until a few days ago, and one neighbouring country being wiped out of existence before books could be written about it, the only ones we've got have been written by Amestrians who managed to infiltrate another country and gather information on them and their history so I trust those books about as much as I trust Alphonse to not tattle on me when I get injured," Ed told Shiro completely straight-faced.

"I'm not even ashamed," Al sniffed at him. "Someone has to make sure you aren't gonna bleed out or get some awful infection because you're too stubborn to go to the hospital," he snarked.

"Please, I know enough first aid that that probably wouldn't happen," Ed said flippantly.

"What do you think to yours and Coran's gifts, Miss Allura?" Gracia asked before Ed and his brother could continue their bantering.

"Oh I love mine!" Allura exclaimed, looking up from the necklace, bracelet, and earring set Gracia and Elysia had found for her. "These are simply stunning!" she told her. "Thank you all so much for them. I look forward to wearing them at future dinners," Allura said, glancing down at the pink amethyst stones set in her gifted jewellery. "And I'm sure Coran will enjoy his gifts as much as I enjoy mine," Allura assured her, imagining her friend's delight when Allura presented him with the cufflinks studded with citrine stones and the book that was undoubtedly from Ed on moustache care and different styles.

"I'm pleased to hear that," Gracia said, looking a little relieved at Allura's words.

"There's stuff in your bag for your dad and Matt," Ed told Pidge, who looked intrigued and went back through her bag, trying to find what she'd missed. "There should be some basic alchemy and alkahestry books in your bag as well, Miss Allura," Ed said, turning his attention to the princess. "I know our alchemy isn't the same as yours but it could be useful still. Alkahestry is possibly the closest thing that we know of to your alchemy and Princess Mei had sent Al some books on alkahestry. Just basic stuff but it helped us get a better understanding of it," Ed explained. "Of course, those books were written in Xingese so we've had to translate them. You've got a translated copy of one of those books. If it ends up being helpful for you, we can get you copies of the other ones we have," Ed told her.

"Thank you, Ed. That was really thoughtful of you and I'm sure I'll be asking for those books soon," Allura said, giving him a sunny smile.

"You're welcome, Miss Allura," Ed said, giving her a smile back. He was as relieved as Gracia was that everyone seemed to really like their presents. If he was being honest, he had been worried that the four of them had missed the mark on most everyone. Really, the only present he felt confident about was the coffee.

" _You did good, Ed,"_ Blue reassured him, sending her mental version of a hug through their bond.

The other Lions sensed what Blue was doing and mimicked her. _"You really did,"_ Green said when she'd caught onto what Blue had told Ed. _"Pidge is so stoked with hers and she's so touched you thought to include presents for her family,"_ she told him.

" _So is Keith,"_ Red swore. _"I think he's still processing the fact that you gave him your knives,"_ she told him with a chuckle.

" _Lance is already devising plans on places to stash his coffee,"_ Blue told Ed, rolling her eyes and causing Lance to look at her with suspicion. _"Even though you got everyone some coffee, he's still gonna treat his like gold and ration it,"_ she said.

Ed couldn't stop his laughter, though he did manage to keep it at least somewhat quiet. "He doesn't need to," he chuckled. "It's not like you guys are never coming back to Amestris and I will happily send whoever visits back with at least one bag for everyone," he told her.

" _I know and he knows. He also knows he's being ridiculous but it's one of his most redeeming features,"_ Blue said with a fond sigh.

" _I think I should let you know that Hunk is planning on hugging you to death the moment he can,"_ Yellow informed Ed.

"I appreciate the warning," Ed said, his voice as amused as Yellow's was.

" _So is Shiro,"_ Black warned the blonde. _"He's thrilled about having something to read in English without his translating app on his tablet,"_ she explained.

"I'm really glad they all like their gifts so much. Al, Gracia, and Elysia will be happy to learn that," Ed told them all. Not to mention that the small ball of worry still in his gut had now dissipated entirely thanks to the Lions.

" _You're a big softie,"_ Blue cooed, causing Ed to flush lightly which then cause all of the other Lions to join in on Blue's teasing.

"You're all horrible and I hate every last one of you," Ed grumbled, ignoring Al and Mustang's amused looks. He just thanked everything he could think of that the Paladins were too busy talking about their presents to be paying attention to their Lions or to Edward.

" _Yes we are and no you don't,"_ Yellow said smugly, tailing swishing behind her as she gave him a pleased, toothy smile.

Ed glared at her but had to concede to Yellow's words. "You're lucky I don't," he told them, rolling his eyes at the gratification that oozed off them. "Keep it up and I'll tell Miss Gracia you're allergic to apple pie," Ed threatened.

The Lions, bar none, gasped in shock. _"You wouldn't!"_ Green asked, eyes filled with disbelief. Ed just gave her a look that made her jaw slacken slightly. _"You would!"_ she accused.

Ed kept that look aimed at her for a couple of heartbeats before he grinned at her. "Of course I wouldn't," he chuckled at her. "There's no way I'd deprive you guys of Miss Gracia's apple pies. I'm not a monster!" he told them.

" _You are_ so _lucky we love you,"_ Black grumbled at him, swishing her tail so it connect with his arm as she switched from Shiro's left side to his right under the pretence of wanting a better look at his books.

Ed didn't bother hiding his laughter at her petty behaviour. Those who noticed it gave him querying looks that Ed just waved off dismissively as he pulled his attention from the Lions and back to the others around the table. As he watched everyone interacting, trading teasing barbs and softer exchanges while relaxing after an excellent dinner, smelling the delicious scent of baking apple pies, Ed couldn't help but feel immense joy that – unlike the dinner with the BAU before they left for America or the dinner with NCIS before Ed and Mustang returned back to Amestris with Moore – this wouldn't be the last time he got to sit and eat with at least one set of his inter-dimensional friends. From what he could sense from the Lions, he knew he wasn't the only one feeling as happy as he was and that knowledge just added to the happy and content feeling in his heart.

* * *

"How far from Resembool do you want us to stop?" Havoc asked Ed, who hummed in thought.

"An hour's drive from Ishval should be enough," Ed finally said. "There's no way anyone should be able to see anything from that distance," he added.

"Sounds good to me, Chief. You'll have one of the Lions tell the others right?" Havoc asked.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Blue already is," he told him.

Havoc snorted as he kept his eyes on the road. "Of course she is," he said with a chuckle.

Ed grinned as he glanced back into the backseat. Lance, Blue, Yellow and Hunk were travelling with them while Green, Pidge, Red, and Keith were with Mustang and Alphonse. Hawkeye was driving the first car with General Armstrong, Allura, Shiro, and Black as her passengers. Ed hadn't even intentionally tried to avoid Hawkeye's car. It had just worked out that General Armstrong had wanted to speak with Allura and Shiro during the trip and hadn't indicated that she would've welcomed anyone else other than whoever ended up as her driver. Mustang was quickly demoted to driving the other car with Alphonse as his passenger since everyone had deemed it a bad idea for Ed and Mustang to ride together, especially with Pidge, Green, and Red as added passengers. Ed hadn't argued and volunteered to ride with Havoc, who was more than happy to have him along with him.

" _They know and Mustang, Hawkeye, and General Armstrong have agreed to stopping at that distance,"_ Blue reported back.

Ed repeated what she'd said to Havoc, who merely nodded. "Which means we'll be on the road for another hour before we stop," Havoc told them. "I hope you guys still have plenty of things to talk about for the duration," he said, a teasing grin on his face that had Ed roll his eyes at him.

"You know full well that I can talk anyone's ear off if I have to and _you're_ the one who said Lance was similar to me and since Hunk is his best friend, I think we'll be fine," Ed told him, causing Havoc to snort in amusement.

"That I have no doubts about," Havoc chuckled even as Ed glared at him before turning around slightly so he could see both Paladins so he wasn't talking at them for the next hour while Havoc continued driving towards Ishval.

* * *

"We're about an hour and a half out of Ishval, Chief," Havoc said, interrupting Ed's, Hunk's, Lance's, and the Lions' conversation as soon as there was a pause for him to do so nearly an hour after Havoc had asked Ed how far from Resembool he wanted to stop.

"That's a good distance. Let's stop here," Ed told him. "We can walk over a dune or two just in case," he added.

"Sure thing, Chief," Havoc said as he tapped the brakes, telling Mustang's car that they were about to slow down before he actually applied them properly and pulled the car as far off the road as he could without risking it getting stuck in the soft sand.

The two other cars quickly followed suit and soon all the occupants were getting out of them and stretching their arms and legs after being stuck in the car for several hours with minimal breaks. Ed glared up at the sun as though warning it to not get too hot while they were in the middle of the desert while the Lions shook themselves to get their blood moving since they'd been mainly lying down in the cars. Allura was looking at the desert with an interest that Ed thought was unnecessary until he remembered the tales of her home planet she and Coran had told him and that there were no areas on Altea similar in nature to a desert. Usually it was only Voltron who saw most of a planet they were defending, fighting on, or asking to join the coalition while Allura and Coran saw only the capital city or leader's home since they didn't usually join in on the fighting unless the Castle-Ship was needed as back-up. Seeing something like a desert was still rare enough that Allura was obviously fascinated by it.

"Everyone good?" Ed asked, mainly speaking to Voltron and Allura and received nods from them all. Even Armstrong had given him a curt nod, though it was accompanied by a sneer, as though she thought his query was ridiculous. "Cool. Let's get a bit further into the desert just in case someone does manage to stumble across the cars," Ed said. The chances of that happening were slim to none but there was still a chance and Ed, for one, did not want to be the one to tell Grumman that his efforts to keep the Lions' shape-shifting abilities a secret were for nothing.

No one looked thrilled about walking up a couple of sand dunes but no one argued with him so he and the Lions led the way up the closest sand dune with everyone following close by him. The Paladins were carrying the bags they'd brought with them and the bags filled with gifts while Alphonse was carrying Allura's, at his insistence. Considering the fact that they were walking up a sandy hill and her shoes weren't truly built for that kind of situation, Allura was grateful she'd accepted Al's offer. Shiro was carrying an extra bag that contained the urn that held Lotor's ashes so that they could give the Galran prince something of a funeral when they were back in their dimension. Havoc, Mustang, Hawkeye, and Armstrong brought up the rear with no complaints that Ed could hear, at least.

" _One dune or two?"_ Blue asked Ed as they descended the first dune.

Ed looked at the flat expanse in front of them between the two sand dunes and considered it. "Is there enough room for the five of you to transform here?" he asked the five Lions as a whole.

Green was the first one to answer him after looking at the small, flat clearing herself. _"I think it should be fine,"_ she told Ed while her sisters nodded in agreement.

"Okay. In that case, we'll stop here," Ed said, speaking out loud for the benefit of the other people in the group as they got to the flatter ground. "Miss Allura, whereabouts will the portal open up?" he asked the Altean princess, wanting to make sure everyone was well out of range of the portal's pull.

"With both me and Voltron on this side of the portal, it won't open on ground level," Allura told him. "I only managed to do so when I came over because I could use the Lions' signatures to direct the portal. Being on this side, I don't have that control over it. From everything Doctor Holt, Matthew, Coran, and I uncovered during the trial phases of the teleduv, this time, the portal will open mid-air, like it did when Voltron and Lotor appeared," she explained.

Ed gave a nod of understanding. "At least we don't have to worry about the Castle-Ship finding itself full of sand from the portal pulling it through," he joked.

Allura's eyes twinkled. "Yes, I think most everyone will be happy to not have to try and rid the Castle-Ship of this sand," she told him with a small chuckle.

"When do you want to open the portal, Princess Allura?" Mustang asked, knowing that if he didn't, Voltron and Allura wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon.

"I can open it whenever I'd like to but because of the energy required from myself, I'd like for the Lions to have transformed and for myself and the Paladins to be in them, ready to go at a moment's notice before I open the portal," Allura said, catching onto the reason for Mustang's question.

"You guys are coming back in three months' time, right?" Ed asked, unable to help himself.

"Yes," Allura confirmed, giving him a smile. "It won't be the whole team. We can't afford to lose all of the Lions, even for only two or three quintents, not after how lucky we were these last 20 odd," she reminded him. "It's very likely that they'll arrive close to where they arrived last time, if we can't figure out a way to lock the teleduv onto something specific," Allura told him.

"Maybe you could try using the bonds the Lions and I have?" Ed suggested. "If not all of them come on the one visit, it could be possible to use your link with the other four to find me?" he added.

"Maybe," Allura said with a nod. "I'll leave that to Doctor Holt, Matthew, and Pidge to figure out though," she told him, giving Pidge a warm smile.

"We'll see what we can do," Pidge promised, earning a nod from both Ed and Allura.

"I'm sure I'll hear all about everything as it happens," Ed said with a laugh that most the others joined in on.

"More than likely," Pidge said, a smirk in place.

There were a few moments of silence where no one really did or said anything. Unlike when the BAU had gone home, Voltron, Allura, and the Amestrians had ample time to say goodbye to one another but both sides were as reluctant to so as the other, it seemed. Well, with the exception of one person. Ed truly thought that Armstrong was going to snap at them to stop stalling their goodbyes so she could see the Lions transform and so the Amestrians could get back on the road to Ishval so she could get the report from Major Miles that was most of the reason she'd even agreed to travelling to Ishval with Mustang in the first place but Shiro was the one to end up breaking the silence first.

"I know we've already thanked you but I'm gonna do it again," Shiro said. "Thank you for finding us so quickly in the desert when we first arrived and thank you for everything you've done for us over the last three weeks," Shiro said once more. "We couldn't have done anything about Lotor if you guys hadn't come to our aid and we would still likely be trying to figure out what the hell we should be doing," he commented with a dry chuckle.

"The Lions would've been able to track me down," Ed told him.

"True but I still appreciate the fact that you saved us the trouble of walking through hours' worth of desert landscape by coming to our aide straight away," Shiro said, ruffling Ed's hair and earning a grumble from the blonde. "I know the others are as grateful as I am that everything went as well as it did. Even though we accidentally crashed-landed in your country, bringing a genocidal, disgraced alien prince with us, I know that if we had landed anywhere else, in any other dimension, this situation wouldn't have been resolved without so little violence or loss of life," Shiro said with complete surety.

"Well, we'll certainly look forward to seeing you guys in the future without the genocidal maniac with you," Mustang said with a smirk that Lance returned.

"We'll do our best to leave the next one behind," Lance told him.

"We'd appreciate that," Havoc chuckled. "I gotta say, I could've believed meeting the BAU or NCIS teams General Mustang and Ed made friends with if someone had said they were turning up but for whatever reason, I never figured we'd actually get to meet you guys. It's been a real trip," Havoc said with a grin.

"We hadn't thought we'd get to meet you guys either. Not for several more months at least," Hunk told him. "I'm still really glad that this all happened. It was really nice meeting you all and seeing Ed again," he said.

"I'm glad you lot managed to get caught in that rift's pull. Coulda done without the heart attack you lot almost induced but I'm still glad," Ed laughed.

"Yeah, sorry about that, man," Pidge said. "But at least we got your attention."

Ed gave her a flat look. "Yeah, that's the main thing," he deadpanned, earning several chuckles.

Allura gave Ed and the other Amestrians an apologetic look before she addressed her team. "Are you ready to leave?" she asked, bringing everyone back to the entire reason they were currently standing in the Ishvalen desert.

Shiro took in a deep breath as he looked at his team and their Lions before he looked at Allura and nodded. "Yes, I think we are," he told her. At her nod, he turned back to the Amestrians who he counted amongst his friends and family. "We'll see you in a few months," he said.

"Yeah, you will," Ed said with a grin, elated that in three months he would get to see at least one pair of Voltron back in Amestris.

" _We'll be back in no time, cub,"_ Blue told Ed, barely giving him any warning before she wrapped him in a hug, much like the hug she first gave him when they met once more in the Ishvalen desert three weeks ago. _"I think there'll actually be a fight about who gets to come on the diplomatic visits, we'll be that excited to see you and Gracia and Elysia and everyone else again,"_ she told him, causing Ed to chuckle as he tightened his grip on Blue's fur.

Ed could see the Paladins and Lions slowly start making their way through their goodbyes with everyone else while Blue kept Ed hostage with her hug. "I wouldn't be surprised if seeing Elysia was your priority for coming back to Amestris," Ed joked.

" _Nonsense. You will always be the main reason we come back here,"_ Blue assured him as she reluctantly let him out of the hug before one of her waiting sisters forced her to.

" _Though Elysia is admittedly our second reason for wanting to visit as soon as possible,"_ Yellow told him as she wrapped Ed up in a hug before he could respond to Blue.

"I knew it. You've replaced me as your favourite non-pilot," Ed joked, even if an irrational part of him was actually a little worried and jealous about that.

" _Don't be silly,"_ Yellow chided as she felt Ed tighten his hold on her. _"No one can replace you,"_ she told him fondly.

"You're sweet," Ed told her, feeling far more relieved by her words and her tone than he really thought he needed to be.

" _I know,"_ Yellow said cheekily before she was being pushed aside by Red, who had a determined look on her face. _"You could've asked, you know,"_ she grumbled even as she moved aside so she could say goodbye to the next person on her list.

" _Yeah, I could've,"_ Red said as she grabbed Ed in a tight hug, resolutely ignoring all of her sisters, who were teasingly cooing at her for her open show of affection. _"I somehow don't think Keith will be the first one to act as our diplomatic representative but I'll make sure we're back here as soon as possible,"_ Red promised.

Ed saw the look Keith gave Red, like he wanted to call her out but knew he really didn't have a leg to stand on but he decided not to comment on that part of what she said. "I can't wait. I still need to whoop Keith's arse in a spar. Our last one got interrupted," he said.

"As if you could," Keith muttered as he joined his Lion to give Ed a quick hug, letting go almost as soon as he'd got his arms around the two of them. "I'll be an expert with those throwing knives you gave me in no time and you'll be eating those words," he swore, face completely serious.

"We'll see who eats their words when you're next here," Ed snarked back, forcing Lance to step in between them so they wouldn't start that rematch right then and there.

" _And_ that's enough of that," Lance said, tugging Keith aside. "Stop hogging Ed," he ordered when Keith grumbled at the manhandling.

"I wasn't," Keith muttered but he did move, following Red – who had also been a victim of Lance's insistent nudging – so that they could keep saying goodbye to everyone.

Ed barely got a huff of laughter out at Keith's scowl when his breath was almost punched out of him from the grip Lance had on him. "Dude," Ed gasped, "you guys were the ones reminding me that it's only going to be a few months before I see some of you again _and_ I have my tablet hooked up to all of yours now so I can call you whenever I can," he reminded him.

"I know but you won't be right there and I've kinda gotten used to you being in the same universe as me," Lance told him, whining slightly and causing Ed to chuckle.

"I've gotten used to you lot being around as well," Ed said. "It won't be the same without you guys camped in Miss Gracia's loungeroom or at Mustang's house," he told him honestly.

Lance sighed slightly. "I'm gonna try and convince Allura to let me and Blue be the first ones to visit you guys in three months," he told him, sounding very determined about this idea.

"I can't wait to hear about the fights that happen because of that," Ed told him, laughter in his voice.

"We'll keep you up to date on it all," Lance promised before yelping and jerking away from Ed, who was looking at Pidge in surprise. Lance, however, was rubbing his side and glaring at the Green Paladin. "Use your words instead of just pinching me next time, gremlin!" Lance scolded her.

"I'll keep that in mind," Pidge told him, though her face told both Lance and Ed that she definitely wouldn't be doing that. "Besides, it's my turn to say goodbye to Ed," she told him, leaving no room for argument.

Lance raised his hands in surrender. "I'll go and say goodbye to those I haven't yet," Lance said before looking at Ed. "Make sure you call us soon," he ordered.

"Yes, boss," Ed said cheekily, earning a light punch to his left arm before Lance moved away to let Pidge have a minute with Ed. "Thank you," Ed said to the Green Paladin before she could say anything first, "for upgrading my tablet. I know," he held up a hand to stop her from speaking, "that I've already thanked you but I need to thank you again for doing that," he told her, voice filled with gratitude.

Pidge rolled her eyes at him. "I couldn't have left here without hooking your tablet up to ours. Do you know how much whining I would have had to put up from Green, Lance, and Blue when they discovered that I could do that, assuming we worked out how to dimension-hop?" she asked rhetorically. "I would've ended up smothering them before long," she grumbled, though Ed could see the flush on her cheeks that told him she was only posturing.

"Well, I really appreciate the tablet upgrade and I appreciate the fact that you won't end up smothering any of them," Ed told her with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," Pidge said, pushing at Ed's shoulder lightly. "Green wants to say goodbye so I'm gonna go do the same with the others," she told him. "Don't get killed before we get to see you again," she ordered, pointing a threatening finger at Ed.

"I'll do my best," Ed laughed. Pidge seemed to accept that as a satisfactory response because she simply nodded before she moved so her Lion could enthusiastically pull Ed into a hug. Ed returned the hug as he stumbled back from the force of it.

" _I'm definitely going to have Pidge fight Lance for the first visit,"_ Green told him immediately, causing Ed to laugh as he hugged her back.

"Now I really want videos of what happens when these fights start," Ed told her.

" _I'll make sure Pidge sends you them,"_ Green promised him. _"We'll see you soon, okay? Stay safe in the meantime,"_ she instructed him, pulling back to look him in the eye.

"I'll try my hardest," Ed swore and, just like Pidge, Green gave him a nod as she pulled away.

" _Good because I'll be joining the others in making Allura open another portal so we can come back here and kick your arse if you don't,"_ Green informed him.

"I'd expect nothing less," he told her, giving her a grin.

"Do you mind if I say goodbye now, Green?" Hunk asked, interrupting the two. Green looked up at him before she nodded and – once she'd nudged Ed's cheek once more – left to join her pilot, who was over with Alphonse. Ed was quickly pulled into a hug on par with Lance's earlier one. "We'll see you when we see you again. Though, knowing Yellow, she'll do her best to make that happen as quickly as possible," Hunk told him.

Ed chuckled as he hugged Hunk back. "Yeah, she's really attached to El. I wouldn't be surprised if she hijacked the portal in three months' time, whether you two are the ones chosen to come over or not," he said, grinning at Yellow's indignant huff. Her agreement was hidden underneath her annoyance so Ed didn't take it to heart.

"Yeah, she probably will," Hunk said with a put-on sigh, grinning when Yellow made a protesting noise at both of them. Hunk pulled away from the hug but didn't go far, placing his hands on Ed's shoulders. "I'm gonna be cooking up a storm with those spices you gave me so you can expect a tonne of new recipes sent to your tablet in the upcoming weeks," Hunk promised him.

"I'm looking forward to it," Ed told him, a genuine grin on his face.

"Edward!" Allura called just before she wedged herself in between Ed and Hunk to give Ed a quick hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't allow us to stay any longer but I am so happy that we got the chance to see you again and so soon!" Allura said, squeezing Ed tightly and briefly before she pulled away.

"I wish you could have stayed for a little longer as well, Miss Allura, but I'm glad you were still able to visit us," Ed told her, giving her a smile. "Will you be joining on the diplomatic visits?" he asked her.

"So long as I don't have any more pressing matters to deal with, then yes I will," Allura told him.

Ed grinned. "Then hopefully we'll be able to introduce you to more of Amestris the next time you're here," he said.

"I look forward to that," Allura told him earnestly. Black and Shiro had joined them as Allura was talking while Hunk had headed over to Hawkeye to say goodbye to her. "You make sure you call us at every chance you can now that Pidge has connected your tablet to all of ours," she instructed.

Ed grinned at the repeated orders. "I will," he promised once more.

Allura patted his cheek gently. "Good," she said, giving him a smile. "I'll leave the three of you to say goodbye," she said, looking at Ed, Black, and Shiro. "Then we really should be going. We don't want to be keeping Edward and the others from making it to Ishval before dark," she said firmly.

"Of course, Allura," Shiro said with a nod. "The rest of the team are just about finished with their goodbyes," he added.

"Then I shall finish mine," Allura said before turning back to Ed. "Hopefully we'll speak to one another soon," she said, smiling at him.

"I'm sure we will," Ed told her, returning her smile.

Black barely waited until Allura was out of the way before she brought Ed into a hug. _"You need to watch out for yourself. Don't get hurt being reckless,"_ she ordered.

"Yes, boss," Ed laughed, hugging the Black Lion back tightly. "You guys need to stay safe as well. I don't wanna be forced to dimension-hop because you guys get into trouble," he told her.

" _We'll do our best but you know how reckless some of our pilots are. We'll be hard-pressed trying to keep them out of trouble,"_ Black told him, sighing as she did so in a way that reminded Ed of Al.

"I heard that," Shiro said, giving Black an admonishing look that was undermined by his amusement.

" _You were meant to,"_ Black informed him, glancing over Ed's shoulder to look at her pilot, eyes sparkling with laughter when Shiro swatted one of her ears. _"Don't be rude,"_ she sniffed at him, swishing her tail up to swat him on his back, causing him to laugh.

"Come on, let me say goodbye to Ed now," Shiro said, trying to coax Black to let go of Ed.

For a few moments, Black resisted his efforts. Then Allura looked over at her and gave Black an admonishing look that had the Lion sigh before she nuzzled Ed's cheek and squeezed him tightly once more before she let him go. _"Fine,"_ she huffed, releasing the blonde with a pout.

"You can smother him with affection the next time you see him," Shiro promised her.

" _Damned straight I will be,"_ Black sniffed at him, relaxing when Ed scratched her behind her ears.

"I'll miss you too," Ed told her, amusement in his eyes at the exchange happening in front of him.

" _I'll miss you too, young alchemist,"_ Black said, butting his left shoulder once before she backed off. _"I'd better let him say goodbye before Allura forces us to leave,"_ she told him.

"It's probably a good idea," Ed said with a nod before he grinned at her and gave her another scratch. "Thanks for everything you did while you guys were here," Ed said to her.

" _You're welcome, Ed,"_ Black purred before leaving to join Allura – now with her bag over her shoulder, having taken it from Alphonse – who merely gave her an amused look as Shiro wrapped Ed into a tight hug.

"Thanks for all your help, kiddo," Shiro said as he felt Ed wrap him in a hug as tight as the one he was giving the blonde.

"Thanks for all _your_ help," Ed echoed back. "Seriously, I don't know what I would've done or how I would've coped with that talk on the anniversary of Promised Day without you guys there running interference. It probably would've ended way worse than it actually did," Ed said, pulling from the hug to look at Shiro. "I can't thank you enough for helping me out with that."

"You don't have to thank us. We wouldn't have stood by and watched that go down without stepping in. You wouldn't have deserved anything that might've happened if we hadn't been there but I would like to think that your teacher or Gracia or Captain Hawkeye would've stepped in, even if we didn't," Shiro told him. "Just remember you're not alone, okay? You don't have to keep secrets from everyone all the time now. You've got a good support system behind you and I'm not talking about me and the team," Shiro said. "You've just gotta remember how much you trust them," he told him.

"Yeah, I know," Ed said, glancing around at Mustang, Al, Hawkeye, and Havoc, who were talking to Allura, the rest of Voltron, and Armstrong. "I'll try to remember that," he promised Shiro.

"Good," the Black Paladin said, pulling Ed back into a tight hug, "because I don't want to have to use part of my visits here to remind you to remember," he informed the blonde, who snorted.

"As if you'd wait for your visit to do that," Ed said, rolling his eyes and earning himself a sharp poke in the shoulder.

"You may be right but I still don't want to have to remind you that you can trust them with everything," Shiro said seriously. Ed nodded and Shiro ruffled his hair, getting a swatted hand and scowl for his troubles. "And don't forget that you can talk to any of us at any time. We'll be there if you need us," Shiro promised him.

"Thanks, Shiro," Ed said gratefully. "The same goes for you. If you ever need to talk or need some help, hit me up," Ed told him.

"I'll make sure we do," Shiro swore before he looked around at where the others were waiting. It seemed like everyone else had finished saying their goodbyes, which meant it was time for them to go back to their dimension. "Looks like everyone else is ready to go," Shiro told Ed, who gave a nod.

"Don't think it'd be a good idea to keep Allura waiting or prevent Pidge from seeing her dad and brother any longer than necessary," Ed said thoughtfully.

"You are definitely right about that," Shiro told him with a chuckle before leading Ed over to the group. Squeezing the blonde's flesh arm, Shiro left his side and joined his team and leader. "I know I've said it before but thanks again for everything," Shiro said, addressing all of the Amestrians. "If you need our aide, don't hesitate to ask for it. We'll do our damnedest to get to you and do what we can," Shiro said, Allura nodding beside him.

"The same goes for you," Mustang said seriously. "If you're ever in need of an alchemist or two, don't hesitate to reach out. I'm sure we'll always be able to spare a couple," he told them with a smirk.

"Thank you," Allura said, voice polite and professional. "I'll make sure to keep you up to date with everything that happens with the interdimensional teleduv and what progress we make with getting the portal to open on ground level when I'm not on this side of it," Allura promised.

"Thank you, Princess Allura," Mustang said with a dip of his head. "We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on your diplomatic visits," he said.

"I'm sure there'll be a battle to see who gets to see you guys first in three phoebs' time," Allura said with a small grin, "but we look forward to those visits as well," she said. "It was wonderful meeting those of you we hadn't met before and to see you, General Mustang and Edward, once more. I hope that you are in as good spirits and health as you are now when we see you next," she said.

"As we hope that for you and your team," Mustang said.

Allura gave him a smile before she turned to Voltron. "Let's get ready to leave. Lions, please spread out so you can transform," Allura requested.

The Lions hesitated, looking at Ed for a moment before they did as they were asked. Once they were in position – spread far enough apart to cause no issues when their pilots got them moving – Ed spoke. "Everyone needs to cover their eyes," he said, mainly for the Amestrians benefit. He saw Armstrong glare at him for ordering her but she did close her eyes. When everyone had, Ed gave the Lions the mental go ahead just as he shut his.

A few seconds later, Shiro called for them to open their eyes and in front of all of them were the mechanical forms of each Lion. Ed grinned when he heard three simultaneous gasps from the Amestrians who hadn't seen the Lions' mechanical forms and relished momentarily in the fact that even General Armstrong hadn't been able to keep her surprise and awe hidden at the sight of them. The Paladins and Allura hadn't moved to the Lions just yet but Ed knew that they soon would be. Even the knowledge that they wouldn't be unable to visit him once they left wasn't enough to soothe the sadness Ed felt at seeing them mere minutes away from leaving.

Shiro and Lance must've seen the look in Ed's eyes or their Lions tattled on the blonde because they both wrapped Ed in a hug, obviously unaware that the other was going to. "I'm gonna try and convince Allura to open the portal to kidnap you for a few days when none of us are busy so you can come and say hello to Coran and the Holts. All three of them would love it," Lance told the blonde.

"If you can convince her to do that, I'll literally drop whatever I'm doing to take you up on that offer," Ed told him with a laugh. He wasn't entirely convinced Allura would open a portal for no reason other than to let Ed and whoever else visit, not with what she and the Holts had said about the material that powered the teleduv.

"Deal," Lance said with a grin that told Ed the Cuban had accepted the challenge.

"Call us as soon as you can once you're in Ishval so we know you arrived safely," Shiro said, earning himself a chuckle from both Lance and Ed.

"Such a space dad," Lance muttered under his breath to Ed, who only laughed in response. "But you gotta call us asap. I doubt Allura will have us out on missions immediately so we'll be able to talk," Lance said.

"I promise I will," Ed told them, patting the reinforced pocket of his black jacket out of habit and feeling the solid shape of his tablet in it.

Both Shiro and Lance gave Ed a smile before Shiro squeezed his flesh shoulder. "We'll talk to you tonight then," he said and Ed gave a nod, the feeling of sadness that had been weighing on him slowly melting away.

"Yeah you will," Ed confirmed. "You'd better go though. Allura and your Lions are waiting," Ed told them, gesturing to the three aforementioned Alteans and Lions.

"See you later, Ed," Lance said before he backed away and headed for Blue, who lowered her jaw in anticipation for her pilot.

"See you soon, kiddo," Shiro said, getting Ed's attention back from the Blue pair.

"Yeah, definitely," Ed said, giving him a large smile before gesturing to Allura. "I'll talk to you tonight and I think Miss Allura is about to come over here and drag you over to Black," Ed told him. The glint in Allura's eyes told him he wasn't far off the mark.

Shiro chuckled. "I think you're probably right and since I don't want that to happen, I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you tonight," Shiro said, echoing Ed's words.

With Ed's nod, Shiro headed for Allura and joined her in waving at everyone else one more time before they headed for the Black Lion who – just like Blue and her other sisters had done – lowered her jaw to permit both them entrance. Once Shiro was in the pilot's seat, Black's jaw closed and her eyes lit up bright yellow, indicating she was ready to be flown. It didn't take long for Ed to feel a mass of energy appear far above their heads and – judging from their faces – Al and Mustang had felt it as well.

"They're about to leave," Ed said to everyone. "Cover your faces or you're gonna be blasted with sand!" he said before pulling his red jacket up over his face to stop sand from getting in his face.

Five loud roars told him the Lions were about to leave and Ed could only hope everyone had listened to him as he felt his body being peppered with sand, softened by the clothing he wore. The second he couldn't feel it anymore, he looked up in time to see the five Lions flying in a wide arc, aiming for the barely visible blue and pink swirling mass of alchemic energy and quintessence. A glance told him that everyone else was watching them as well and Ed held his breath as, one by one, the Lions vanished through the circle with Black going last so Allura could keep the portal open.

It took a couple of moments for Ed to do so but he did manage to sense them once the portal closed and he breathed a sigh of relief, overjoyed his bond with the Lions was still intact. "They're going into the Castle-Ship now," Ed told everyone.

"Good," Mustang said in a way that told Ed that his boss knew what Ed had been fearing. "Well, now that they're home, how about we continue on our way to Ishval? We really don't want to be driving in the desert at night," Mustang said.

"Major Miles will be expecting us well before sunset so we do need to get a move on," Armstrong told them. "We've wasted enough time here as it is," she said, looking at Ed who, for once, didn't let it affect him.

"Let's head back to the cars, Sirs," Hawkeye said, glancing at Ed to check on him, only turning away when Ed gave her a nod and a reassuring smile.

"You okay, Brother?" Al asked as the six of them started heading up the sand dune they'd climbed only a few minutes ago.

Ed could see that both Havoc and Mustang were watching him out of the corner of their eyes, obviously waiting for his answer. "Yeah, Al," Ed said, giving his younger brother a smile. "I'm completely okay," he said honestly.

Al watched him for a few moments before he nodded. "Good. Then let's get to Ishval so we can bring Scar up to speed on everything and ask him whether he'd be willing to act as a pretend messenger for us," he said, catching Ed's elbow and all but tugging him along with him.

"Sounds like a plan," Ed said as he heard the Lions laughing in his mind at his brother's antics, causing Ed to grin. "Let's go do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter for you all! Many, many thanks to those of you who have been following this story/series and I really hope the ending meets your expectations! I probably mentioned in my A/Ns somewhere along the line that I was planning on doing a CSI: Miami x FMA story but for now, that story will not be happening. I have no desire to go back into this series and write another one, especially because I'm most of you are sick of the same basic plotline that most of this series followed. If I can come up with a plot line for the CSI: Miami crossover that would be both interesting and different and I get the motivation to do it then maybe one day it'll happen.
> 
> I will be posting the first chapter of a new story for my Medic Lance series right after this so keep your eye out for it if you follow me or that series. It has 7 chapters total and will be following my usual upload schedule. After it's posted, I'll start posting my How to Train Your Dragon x Rise of the Guardians story and I will more than likely start posting my drabbles/extra scenes and 'what if' series for Spirit Animals, though that will be updated infrequently.
> 
> Thank you so much to those of you who followed the story and series! Seriously, I love and appreciate all of you and I really hope this chapter wraps the story and maybe the series up nicely for you! Fullmetal_Bitch xx

**Author's Note:**

> Brand new story for you all! As you probably guessed from the title and tags, this is a second Voltron/FMA crossover. If you've stumbled across this story without having read the others in this series, I strongly recommend that you read the first Voltron/FMA crossover 'I say 'Vol', You Say 'Alchemy'' and the third AMA story 'Welcome to Amestris, Agents', at the very least, or else a few things in this story may not make sense.
> 
> This will just be a short A/N but I hope to see everyone's thoughts on the very first chapter please! See you guys next week!


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